Incidents  of  iVly  Life 
and  Life  Work 


sneon  bhker 


mtljearttpofJImgork 

THE  LIBRARIES 


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Ao^coJ-  (jir-c^^/Uy<. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and 
Life  Work  of  84  Years 

TOGETHER  WITH 

A  Few  Sermons^  Papers^  and  a 
Story  for  Children 


JACOB  BAKER 


NICHOLSON  PRINTING   &   MFG.  COMPANY 

RICHMOND,  INDIANA 

1911 


3 


/     / 


11 5  $1 


TO  MY  LOVED  AND  FAITHFUL  DAUGHTERS 

GLARE  E.  BAKER  AND  FLORENCE  E.  PORTER 

AND  THE  FRIENDS  CHURCH 

THIS  VOLUME  IS   GRATEFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY  THE  AUTHOR 


PREFACE 

AT  THE  request  of  my  friends,  and  for  the  love 
JLX.  of  the  truth,  I  have  been  constrained  to  gather 
up  some  of  the  "Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life 
Work,"  in  the  simple  story  of  God's  gracious  deal- 
ing with  me  and  mine.  His  marvelous  preservation 
through  the  years  of  my  pilgrimage,  and  granting 
me  the  privilege  to  share  writh  Him  in  service  for 
the  Church  and  souls,  has  been  a  great  cause  of 
Thanksgiving.  The  narrative  began  a  year  and  a 
half  ago,  and  has  been  gathered  in  the  midst  of  a 
strenuous  life,  in  the  fragments  of  time  snatched 
from  the  passing  months,  which,  I  trust,  may  be 
made  a  blessing  to  my  readers  and  patrons. 

Incidents  are  varied  and  many-sided,  drawn  from 
actual  experience,  in  secular  and  spiritual  life.  They 
cover  length  of  years  and  a  broad  territory,  and  we 
sincerely  crave  for  them  your  kindly  measure  of 
their  virtue,  and  charitable  consideration. 

In  addition  to  the  "  Life  Work,"  I  have  deemed  it 
safe,  and  best,  to  add  a  synopsis  of  a  number  of  my 
sermons,  which,  under  God's  anointing,  I  have  been 
privileged  to  utter  as  His  messages,  in  their  peculiar 


Preface 

setting,  as  based  upon  the  Inspired  Word.  The 
papers  on  "  The  Inner  Life  of  the  Pastor,"  and  "  The 
Holy  Spirit,"  have  been  prepared  with  much  prayer 
and  care,  hoping  to  add  both  interest  and  merit  to 
the  volume.  The  story  for  children  expresses  a 
unity  of  action  worthy  of  note. 

In  submitting  this  volume  to  the  public,  I  am 
aware  that  it  has  been  a  necessity  very  often  to  re- 
peat the  first  person  singular,  but  please  allow  it  to 
carry  you  to  the  One  only  wise  God,  and  our  Sa- 
viour Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  all  the  glory. 

Adrian,  Michigan. 


INTRODUCTION 

KNOWLEDGE  of  God  and  of  Christ  is  the 
highest  possible  acquisition.  *'  This,"  said 
Jesus,  ''is  Hfe  eternal."  Awakened  sinners  regard 
their  Creator  as  an  inexorable  Judge,  satisfied  Avith 
nothing  short  of  a  sinless  life,  and  far  separated 
from  themselves  by  their  transgressions.  They 
feel  the  sorrows  of  just  condemnation.  Some  of 
them  repent,  confess  their  sins,  seek  pardon  through 
*'  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,"  believe, 
and  kjwzv  God  as  reconciled,  regenerating,  adopting 
them  as  His  children.  This  is  the  beginning  of  a 
knowledge  not  merely  intellectual  but  instinctive 
also,  and  of  which  Jesus  loved  to  tell  His  disciples. 
They  sense  His  presence,  and  discover  Him  to  be 
their  attentive  Comforter,  Counsellor  and  Guide, 
hearing  and  answering  prayer,  and  constantly  invit- 
ing them  to  a  more  intimate  friendship  with  Him- 
self. They  learn  the  secret  of  zvalking  with  Him, 
waiting  upon  Him,  proving  Him  as  their  sufficiency. 
All  this  is  in  the  plan  of  God  for  mankind.  Not 
only  does  He  offer  the  riches  of  this  blessed  exper- 
ience to  all  his  followers,  but  in  every  age  He  raises 


Introduction 

up  witnesses  to  testify  of  it  and  persuade  men  to 
seek  it.  Abel  testified  of  it  to  his  generation;  Enoch 
to  his;  Moses,  David,  EHjah,  each  to  his.  Even  the 
"  dark  ages  "  were  not  without  men  and  women  who 
were  proving  God  faithful  to  His  promises,  and  per- 
suading their  fellows  to  seek  Him  with  their  whole 
heart.  In  modern  times  the  number  of  competent 
and  faithful  witnesses  is  greatly  multiplied.  Their 
clarion  messages  are  heard  above  the  Babel  of  un- 
hallowed voices  that  call  men  away  from  the  thought 
of  God  and  holiness  and  eternity.  They  witness  at 
the  fireside,  in  the  office,  and  in  the  pulpit.  They 
embalm  their  testimony  in  books ;  and  Christians 
who  long  for  the  perfect  life,  find  inestimable  com- 
fort, instruction  and  inspiration  in  the  memoirs  of 
holy  men  and  women  of  their  own  country  and 
their  own  time. 

To  this  class  of  helpful  literature,  our  friend, 
Jacob  Baker,  now  ofifers  his  contribution  in  a  brief 
review  of  his  earnest,  faithful  life.  He  has  been 
for  many  years  a  clear,  strong  witness  to  the  full- 
ness of  the  redeeming  grace,  to  the  possibility  of 
holiness  of  heart  and  life  through  the  power  of  that 
grace.  He  has  been  a  cheerful,  buoyant  witness,  in 
whose  voice  was  no  tremor  of  uncertainty.  His 
ministry,  whether  by  word  or  by  example,  has  ever 
been  a  rebuke  to  sin  and  a  glad  invitation  to  right- 


Introduction 

eousness.  Thousands  have  been  blessed  by  it,  and 
have  come  to  know  their  God  more  perfectly.  May 
his  narrative,  unpretentious  and  abounding  in  rem- 
iniscences, but  viev^ing  all  things  from  the  stand- 
point of  one  who  knows  how  to  use  the  world  w^ith- 
out  abusing  it,  and  who  never  forgets  that  his  real 
citizenship  is  in  heaven,  cheer  and  instruct  the 
heart  and  better  the  life  of  many  a  reader. 

William  P.  Pinkham. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

Birth — Parentage — Choice  of  Books — Boy  Persever- 
ance— Selling  Homestead — Perilous  Adventure — 
Recollections    2 

CHAPTER  II 

Preparation  for  Removal — Erie  Canal — Across  Lake 
Erie — Stranded — Arrival  at  Toledo — Indians — Wil- 
derness— Journey — My  Michigan  Selection  of  Land 
— Log  Cabin — Intrusion  of  Pigs — Study  of  Plants 
— Falling  Stars — Felling  Trees 5 

CHAPTER  III 

Pioneer  Life  No  Idle  Dream — A  Godly  Woman — 
Consecration  for  the  Ministry — School  Days — 
Prizes — Love  of  Mathematics — Select  School — 
High  School — Teaching — School  Inspector 10 

CHAPTER  IV 

Attendance  of  Meetings — Raisin  Preparative  Meeting 
— Its  Composition — First  Ministers — Ideal  Meth- 
ods of  a  Boy  Friend — Love  of  Bible  Reading — 
Firstday  School— Old  Time  Worthies 15 

CHAPTER  V 

Purchase  of  Farm — Servants'  Place — Mother's  De- 
cease— First  Meeting  with  Phila  A.  Colvin — Court- 
ship— Marriage — Out  from  the  Hearthstone — Ten- 
ants— Building  Our  First  Dwelling — Children....     21 


Contents 
CHAPTER  VI 

PAGE 

Grave  Responsibility — Daily  Scripture  Reading — Cov- 
etousness — Too  Avaricious  Conversion — Call  to 
the   Ministry — Movement   to   Unload 27 

CHAPTER  VII 

First  Work — Special  Revelation — The  Atonement — 
Public  Use  of  the  Bible — Singing — First  Revival — 
Strange  Confession — Recorded  a  Minister — First 
Credentials — Attendance  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meet- 
ing         33 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Adoption  of  Brother  and  Sister  of  My  Wife — Visit  to 

Canada — Sad  Close  of  a  Minister's  Life 41 

CHAPTER  IX 

Attendance  of  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting — Seeking  for  Bet- 
ter Yearly  Meeting  Privileges — Favorable  Results 
— Attendance  of  North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting — 
A  Covenant — Large  Service — Richmond,  Virginia 
— On   to    Washington — Annual    Reception — 'Home     45 

CHAPTER  X 

Revival  at  Hanover — United  Effort — Revival  at  Ypsi- 
lanti — Trouble  at  Goshen — Complete  Reconcilia- 
tion— Lasting  Peace — Advice  to  Pastors  and  Evan- 
gelists       52 

CHAPTER  XI 

A  Western  Trip— At  Chicago— Kansas  City— Tonga- 
noxie — A  Remarkable  Feat — Lawrence — Lengthy 
Sermon — Rare  Desert  Cake — Emporia — West 
Branch,  Iowa — Springdale — Snowbound — Change 
of  Purpose— Three  Weeks  at  West  Branch— Wal- 
nut Center — Home 59 


Contents 
CHAPTER  XII  „    ^ 

PAGE 

Canada  Yearly  Meeting — Visit  to  the  Interior — En- 
chanting Scenery — Ohio  Yearly  Meeting — The 
Word  of  God — The  Brewer  Not  Needed  at  Can- 
ada  Yearly   Meeting — Home 66 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Revival  at  Elba — A  Strange  Prayer — Blessed  Results 
— Conversion  of  Unitarian — New  York  Yearly 
Meeting — Living  Creatures — Amos  Kenworthy — 
A  Score  Converted — On  to  Brooklyn — George 
Fox  Letter — Newport,  Rhode  Island — Called  Down 
— A  Call  to  Officiate  at  Funeral — Providence 72 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Home  Work — Meetilng  at  Alum  Creek — Camp  Chase 
— Catholic  Converted — Columbus — Charlie  Butler 
— Executed — Lessons  of  a  Bad  Life — Touch  Not 
the  Unclean   81 

CHAPTER  XV 

Call  to  Selma,  Ohio — First  Fixed  Salary — A  Good 
Constituency — Harveysburgh — Oak  Ridge — Short 
Creek,  Ohio — Trying  Ordeal — Marriage  of  Young- 
est  Daughter — Three   Years  of  Victory 85 

CHAPTER  XVI 

Return  to  Raisin  Center — Adrian  City — Raisin  Valley 
— Ypsilanti — Six  Fundamentals — Rollin — Damas- 
cus, Ohio — Continued  Rainfall — Strange  Revela- 
tion— Blessed  Results — Call  to  Pastorate — Re- 
sponse       91 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Colonel    Brough — Richmond    Conference — Declaration 

of  Faith — Adoption  Unanimous — John   Butler....     96 


Contents 
CHAPTER  XVIII 

PAGE 

Position  on  the  Ordinances — Yet  Tolerant — Meeting 
at  Beloit,  Ohio — Revivals  at  Richland  and  Camp 
Chase — Cowgill  Fund — Credentials  Refused — 
Granted  After  Three  Months  for  Service  in  West- 
ern Yearly  Meeting — Sand  Creek — Mill  Creek — 
East  Branch — Russiaville — Westfield    102 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Spiceland  Quarterly  Meeting — Visit  to  Michigan — 
Only  Grandchild — Return  to  Damascus — Kansas 
Yearly  Meeting — Emporia — Five  Years'  Confer- 
ence— New  Providence,  Iowa — Conundrum 109 

CHAPTER  XX 

Meetings  at  Highland,  Iowa — Bangor — Question  as  to 
Baptism — Isom  Wooten — Seeker  for  Sanctification 
— Vocal  Prayer — Call  to  Hartland — Conversion  of 
William  Kirby — Ellwood  Knight — Albion — Minne- 
apolis— Hesper,   Iowa — Home    115 

CHAPTER  XXI 

Meetings  at  New  Sharon,  Bloomfield — Service  at  Rol- 
lin,  Michigan — Grove  Meeting — Atfer  Many  Days 
a  Surprise  121 

CHAPTER  XXII 

The  World's  Fair — Stock  Yards — Lincoln  Park — Back 

to  Adrian,  Michigan 127 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

Delegates  to  the  Opening  of  California  Yearly  Meet- 
ing— Left  Home  February  5,  1896 — Severe  Bliz- 
zard— Stop  Over  at  Emporia — Another  Cold  Wave 
Desert  Waste — Arrival  at  Pasadena — Whittier — 
Redlands — Santa  Monica,  Etc 133 


Contents 

CHAPTER    XXIV  p^^^ 

El  Modena— Villa  Park— Climb  the  Heights— Alami- 
tos — Long  Beach — San  Pedro — Catalina  Island — 
Back  to  Whittier— Yearly   Meeting 139 

CHAPTER  XXV 

Temperance  Address — Pleasant  Ride — Turning  Home- 
ward— San  Francisco — Salt  Lake — Mormon  Taber- 
nacle— Temple — Brigham    Young's    Grave — Home  145 

CHAPTER  XXVI 

Raisin  Center — Friends  Conference  of  1897 — Move  for 
Uniform  Discipline — Testimony  Against  Destruc- 
tive   Criticism — Modern   Thought   Exposed 150 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

Dedication  of  Friends  Church  at  Lupton,  Michigan — 
Golden  Wedding — Adrian  Telegram  Report — 
Unique   Poem    156 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

Attack  of  Rheumatism: — Journey  to  Glens  Falls,  New 
York — New  York  Yearly  Meeting —  Pough- 
keepsie — Portland,  Maine — New  England  Yearly 
Meeting — Winthrop  Center — Farmington — Pan- 
American   Exposition — Home    164 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

Canada  Yearly  Meeting — Preach  in  Baptist  Church — 
Athur  Dann  and  Wife — Western  Yearly  Meeting 
— Five  Years'  Meeting — Sensation — Kansas  Yearly 
Meeting — Wilmington  Yearly  Meeting — Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting — New  York  Yearly  Meeting — 
Ohio  Yearly  Meeting — New  Garden  and  White- 
water Quarterly  Meetings — Goshen — Alum  Creek 
Quarterly  Meeting — Alliance   171 


C  out  cuts 
CHAPTER  XXX 

PAGE 

August,  1910 — Ohio  Yearly  Meeting — Family  Reunion 
— Visit  to  Hillsdale — Return  Home — Sickness  of 
My  Wife — Death — Funeral — Obituary — Burial  at 
Friends  Cemetery,  Raisin  Center — Poem — Closing 
Words    179 

SERMONS 

It  is  Good  to  be  Here.— Luke  9:33 187 

Attitude  and  Blessing. — Matthew  5:3  to  12 193 

Flowing  Rivers. — Ecele  1 :7 198 

The  Natural  Man  and  the  Spiritual  Man. — I  Corinthi- 
ans: 3:9-10   202 

TEMPERANCE  SERMON 
The  Thistle  and  the  Cedar.— II  Kings  14:9 207 

THE    PASTOR'S    INNER    LIFE 
Read  Before  Ministerial  Association    211 

THE    HOLY    SPIRIT 
Read  Before  Ministerial  Association   218 

STORY    FOR    CHILDREN    AND    YOUTH 
Richety  Robin  228 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 
OF  84  Years 


CHAPTER  I 

HAVING  been  urged  by  my  friends  and  the  pub- 
lishers of  the  Evangelical  Friend  to  write  a  clear 
and  explicit  account  of  my  life  and  work,  I  now 
undertake,  through  Divine  help,  the  pleasant  and 
somewhat  difficult  task.  I  claim  no  literary  merit  or 
peculiar  skill  as  a  writer,  but  for  the  glory  of  God, 
under  His  guiding  hand,  undertake  to  give  a  simple 
narrative  of  a  journey  of  eighty-four  years. 

I  was  born  in  the  Township  of  Perinton,  Monroe 
County,  New  York,  May  10,  1827,  of  Quaker  par- 
ents. My  father,  David  White  Baker,  was  the  son 
of  Moses  and  Cynthia  White  Baker,  whose  original 
home  was  at  the  foot  of  the  Hoosack  Mountains, 
Massachusetts.  My  father  had  three  brothers  and 
three  sisters  rjohn,  Oren,  Moses  C,  Mehitabel,  Lucy 
and  Cynthia.  My  mother's  name  was  Elizabeth 
Palmer  Hoag,  youngest  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Eliz- 
abeth   P.    Hoag,    both    natives    of    New    York,    all 


2  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Friends.  Jacob  Hoag,  my  grandfather,  was  born  in 
the  Township  of  Oblong,  Dutchess  County,  New 
York,  June  15,  1760.  Elizabeth  Palmer,  his  first 
wife,  was  born  in  Westchester  County,  Township  of 
Bedford,  New  York,  August  19,  1760.  They  were 
married  December  1,  1785.  T)p  them  were  born  five 
sons  and  three  daughters :  William,  Stephen,  Burtis, 
Israel,  Jacob,  Mary,  Lydia  and  Elizabeth.  My 
grandfather  was  a  cousin  of  that  saint  of  God, 
Joseph  Hoag.  My  grandfather  died  at  Macedon 
Center,  New  York,  July  19,  1855,  at  "the  age  of 
ninety-five  years,  one  month  and  four  days,  a 
dear,  loving,  saintly  man,  ripe  for  Heaven. 

Being  born  a  member  of  the  Friends  Church,  in 
the  year  of  the  Hicksite  separation  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  it  became  the  duty  of  my  parents  to  de- 
cide where  they  wished  to  be  identified,  which  re- 
sulted in  choosing  orthodoxy  rather  than  heterodoxy. 
My  grandfather,  Jocob  Hoag,  having  married  for 
his  second  wife,  Damaris  Clapp,  a  strong  Unitarian, 
through  her  influence  went  with  her,  though  ortho- 
dox in  belief  and  experience.  All  his  sons  and 
daughters  went  with  the  Orthodox  Friends. 

While  we  are  warned  against  dependence  upon 
"endless  genealogies",  nevertheless  some  remem- 
brance of  ancestry  seems  profitable.  We  were  mem- 
bers   of    Farmington     Monthly    Meeting,     Wayne 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  3 

County,  New  York,  close  by  the  little  town  then 
named  ''Pumpkin  Hook,"  taking  its  name  from  the 
story  that  a  farmer  taking  in  a  load  of  pumpkins  for 
market,  lost  most  of  them  by  theft,  hence  "Pump- 
kin Hook."  It  was  there  a  little,  flaxen-haired  boy 
learned  "thee  and  thou."  For  five  years  that  lad 
was  beginning  to  taken  in,  .in  small  measure,  the 
world  into  which  he  had  come.  These  were  the  first 
days  of  school.  One  day  father  took  me  with  him 
to  Palmyra  village,  and  entering  a  store  he  asked 
me  to  look'  about  and  see  what  I  would  like.  My 
eye  caught  a  copy  of  Noah  Webster's  Elementary 
Spelling  Book,  and  I  asked  him  to  buy  it,  which  he 
did.    From  it  I  first  learned  to  spell  Baker. 

A  remarkable  feat  for  one  so  young  occurred  the 
spring  I  was  five  years  of  age ;  father  uncovered  his 
potatoes  that  had  been  buried  for  winter  keeping, 
set  the  wagon  by  them,  and  asked  me  to  fill  the 
basket  while  he  plowed  around,  then  he  would 
empty  it  and  I  could  fill  it  again,  and  boy-like,  I 
thought  it  fine,  the  result  being  forty  bushels  picked 
that  day.  How  often  father  repeated  the  story  to 
his  friends  I  can  not  tell,  but  my  ears  listened  with 
delight  at  every  repetition  of  it. 

In  the  autumn  of  1832,  father  sold  his  farm  of 
forty  acres,  and  planned  to  remove  to  Michigan  the 
next  spring,  and  the  fall  and  winter  found  him  head 


4  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

sawyer  in  a  mill  on  Mud  Creek,  near  Caleb  McOm- 
bers,  a  noted  Friend  minister  of  that  day,  whose 
wife,  Esther,  was  my  father's  aunt.  One  day  I  had 
some  playfellows  a  little  older  than  I,  and  they 
planned  to  cross  the  dam  on  a  rude  walk  of  plank 
and  poles,  and  I  followed,  an  exceedingly  dangerous 
adventure  for  one  so  young.  When  midway,  father 
discovered  me;  he  stopped  the  mill  and,  standing 
speechless,  watched  his  boy  until  he  landed  safely, 
then  came  and  kissed  his  first-born,  and  kindly  ad- 
monished me  not  to  do  so  again.  We  have  had 
fathers  in  the  flesh  that  corrected  us,  and  we  gave 
them  reverence,  shall  we  not  rather  be  in  subjection 
to  the  Father  of  spirits  and  live?  It  was  long  years 
before  I  visited  the  childhood  home,  all  the  time 
having  fixed  in  my  mind  the  dwelling  and  other 
buildings  with  their  surroundings,  but  to  my  amaze- 
ment, everything  had  diminished  in  size  and  dis- 
tance nearly  one-half,  and  I  began  to  comprehend 
as  never  before,  that  as  years  increase  we  realize 
the  swift  flight  of  time  and  the  stern  realities  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  and  that  which  is  to  come.  How 
vividly  come  the  expressive  words  of  the  poet : 


'How  dear  to  my  heart  are  the  scenes  of  my  childhood, 
When  fond  recollection  presents  them  to  view — 

The  orchard,  the  meadow,  the  deep  tangled  wildwood, 
And  every  loved  spot  that  my  infancy  knew." 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  winter  of  1832-1833  was  spent  in  preparing 
for  removal  to  Michigan,  the  family  then  num- 
bering five,  father,  mother,  two  sons,  Jacob  and 
Henry,  and  one  daughter,  Lucy.  The  oldest  child, 
Lydia  Ann  died  at  the  age  of  two  and  one-half  years, 
and  was  buried  at  Farmington  Friends  cemetery, 
New  York.  I  well  remember  when  we  took  the 
packet  at  Macedon  on  the  Erie  Canal  for  Buffalo; 
it  was  a  time  of  special  interest  when  we  reached 
Lockport.  My  mother  had  warned  us  not  to  put 
our  heads  out  of  the  window,  for  they  might  be 
crushed  like  some  had  been.  Arriving  at  Buffalo,  we 
secured  passage  for  Toledo  on  the  steamboat  DeWitt 
Clinton,  about  the  middle  of  May. 

Had  a  pleasant  trip  till  we  reached  Maumee  Bay, 
where  we  ran  aground  on  a  sand-bar  about  4  p.  m., 
and  were  fast  till  10  a.  m.  next  day.  During  this 
time  the  shore  was  lined  with  Indians  with  their 
ponies,  curious  to  learn  this  new  means  of  naviga- 
tion, for  it  was  said  to  be  the  first  steamboat  that 
had  sailed  up  that  bay  for  three  years.  Noon  found 
us  dining  at  the  lone  log  hotel  in  that  village. 

5 


6  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Here  we  were  met  by  Israel  and  Jacob  Hoag, 
mother's  brothers,  who  had  come  to  Michigan  the 
year  before.  They  had  come  from  Raisin  Valley 
with  ox  teams  to  take  us  and  our  goods  through 
thirty-five  miles  of  wilderness  to  their  home.  We 
made  the  first  ten  miles  to  Tenmile  Creek  (now 
known  as  Sylvania,  Ohio)  that  night;  and  next  day 
at  sundown  reached  Uncle  Israel's  home  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  Raisin.  There  I  had  my  first 
night's  rest  in  "My  Michigan."  About  one-fourth 
of  a  mile  through  an  undergrowth  of  oak  lived  Uncle 
Jacob,  and  at  six  in  the  morning  father  called: 
"Would  thee  like  to  go  with  me  to  Uncle  Jacob's?" 
I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  we  were  soon  on 
our  way,  but  had  not  gone  far  before  a  flock  of  wild 
deer  started  up,  raised  their  white  tails,  trotted 
a  little  way  and  halted,  my  first  sight  of  that  inhabi- 
tant of  the  forest  wilds.  The  first  important  busi- 
ness on  hand  for  my  father  was  to  make  a  selection 
of  government  land  on  which  to  build  a  home.  Hav- 
ing selected  160  acres  on  Section  4  in  Palmyra  Town, 
ship,  he,  in  compan}^  with  his  brother,  Orin,  started 
on  foot  for  the  State  land  office  at  Alonroe,  Mich., 
a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  When  within  five  miles, 
about  sundown  they  stopped  at  a  tavern,  and  ordered 
supper,  intending  to  stay  for  the  night.  During  the 
meal    other   parties   arrived,   and    father   overheard 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  7 

them  mention  the  same  piece  of  land  he  had  selected, 
as  their  selection,  so  father  and  his  brother  pushed 
on  to  Monroe  and  were  ready  at  the  opening  of  the 
office  next  morning  to  make  a  purchase.  Very  soon 
the  other  parties  arrived,  and  found  on  calling  for 
their  choice,  "It  has  just  been  taken." 

Returning,  a  log  cabin  was  speedily  erected,  and 
the  last  of  June  found  us  in  a  pioneer  home  with 
just  roof  enough  to  cover  a  bed  in  one  corner,  no 
doors  or  windows,  and  a  little  floor  for  the  table. 
Blankets  were  hung  in  the  doorways  and  window 
spaces.  I  was  then  a  lad  of  six  years,  and  began 
the  study  of  the  primeval  forests  and  drank  lightly 
of  natures  beauties.  After  a  few  weeks  father  and 
mother  planned  a  visit  to  my  Uncle  Jacob,  three 
miles  away,  so  on  Seventhday  morning,  Buck  and 
Bright  were  hitched  to  the  big  wagon,  and  we  all 
embarked  thither  to  remain  till  Sabbath  evening. 
On  returning  about  dark,  as  we  entered  the  cabin, 
appearances  gave  proof  that  some  intruding  had 
been  going  on.  After  close  examination  mother  dis- 
covered the  intruders  were  two  pigs  which  had 
broken  out  of  the  pole  pen  and  had  selected  the 
trundle  bed  for  their  night's  lodging,  so  Henry  and 
myself  sought  rest  elsewhere.  Only  an  episode  in 
a  boy's  young  life.  These  were  days  when  nature's 
songsters,  a  vast  number  were  trying  the  acoustic 


8  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

qualities  of  the  green  arches  of  the  dense  wildwood, 
and  my  childish  ears  pronounced  them  perfect.  A 
study  of  the  wild  plants  of  the  forest,  to  learn  their 
names  and  properties,  was  a  delightful  task.  I 
learned  to  designate  by  their  varied  foliage  so  that 
I  could  readily  point  out  cranesbill,  oxbalm,  rattle- 
snake root,  groundnut,  goldenseal,  lobelia,  vervain, 
sweet  sicily,  black,  white  and  blue  cohosh,  putty 
root,  Indian  turnip,  wild  leek  and  onions,  spikenard, 
ginseng,  mandrake,  nerve  root  and  Virginian  snake 
root,  all  these  from  the  Master  hand ;  also  the  min- 
nows in  the  rivulet  were  flitting,  shining  gems,  all 
these  in  my  life  causing  much  thought  and  real  ad- 
miration. I  loved  the  forest  wild  then,  and  their 
charms  linger  yet,  "For  the  groves  are  God's  first 
temples,"  and  to  hie  thereto  now,  brings  vivid  mem- 
ories of  many  happy  days. 

In  the  autumn  of  1833,  father  had  cleared  about 
threeacresof  the  dense  forest,  and  sowed  it  to  wheat, 
and  one  morning  about  the  middle  of  November, 
father,  rising  early,  discovered  a  very  peculiar  phe- 
nomenon, a  meteoric  shower,  or  "falling  stars."  For 
three  hours  there  was  a  continuous  descent  of  flakes 
of  light,  and  the  scene  was  enchanting  beyond 
description,  as  these  came  within  the  little  open 
space  in  the  forest,  and  vanished  as  they  touched  the 
ground.    I  was  called  to  witness  it  and  the  grandeur 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  9 

of  the  picture  remains  indelibly  fixed  in  my  memory 
to  this   day. 

Pioneer  life,  even  for  a  boy,  has  its  supreme  ad- 
vantages over  the  corner  store  of  the  present  times, 
where  many  of  the  boys  spend  their  evenings,  in 
impure  conversation  or  in  games  of  chance.  Un- 
selfishness v^as  the  predominating  virtue  of  those 
blessed  days.  How  real  those  expressive  words, 
found  in  the  Old  English  Reader  of,  "Felling  Trees 
in  the  Wood." 


"Loud  sounds  the  axe,  redoubling  strokes  on  strokes; 
On  all  sides  round  the  forest,  hurls  her  oaks 
Headlong.    Deep  echoing  groan  the  thicket  brown ; 
Then  rustling,  crackling,  crashing,  thunder  down." 


CHAPTER  III 

MY  FATHER  was  now  thirty-four  years  of  age, 
and  mother  six  years  younger,  and  to  rear  a 
family  in  those  days  was  no  idle  dream.  It  required 
untiring  devotion,  and  a  large  measure  of  persever- 
ance and  economy.  There  were  added  to  those  three 
already  named,  two  sons,  and  three  daughters,  viz. : 
Israel  H.,  Joseph  D.,  Mary,  Sarah  Jane  and  Esther. 
My  mother  was  a  godly  woman,  often  giving 
public  testimony  to  personal  salvation  by  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ,  and  had  a  lovely  gift  of  exhortation. 
Her  life  was  bound  up  in  her  children;  her  highest 
thought  was  that  they  might  develop  a  Chris- 
tian character,  worthy  of  the  name.  It  was  not  until 
I  was  more  than  forty  years  old  that  I  learned  that 
when  I  was  only  three  weeks  old  she  consecrated  me 
to  the  Lord  to  be  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  One 
Sabbath,  after  preaching  from  the  text,  *'It  is  Fin- 
ished," after  the  meeting  closed,  I  was  requested  to 
repair  to  the  vestibule,  when  a  lady  said  to  me, 
''When  you  were  an  infant  I  was  your  mother's 
nurse,  and  I  thought  it  would  encourage  you  to 
know   of   her   consecration    of   her   first-born   son." 

lO 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  1 1 

Surely,  even  now,  after  forty  years  of  Gospel  ser- 
vice, mother's  ideal  and  God's  faithfulness  in  bot- 
tling up  that  consecration,  for  exactly  thirty-six 
years,  till  her  son  found  the  Saviour  and  made  a  like 
consecration,  comes  with  constant  thanksgiving, 
though  mother,  like  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  kept 
this  in  her  heart  and  pondered  it  and  thought  it  wise 
to  withhold  it  from  me,  and  went  to  her  reward  ere 
her  ideal  was  realized.  As  I  run  over  the  years,  and 
now  discern  the  very  many  evidences  of  prayerful 
training  and  patient  waiting,  I  can  see  she  was  con- 
stantly aiming  to  throw  around  me  influences  and 
examples  best  calculated  to  answer  the  deep-seated 
desire  of  her  mother  heart,  to  lead  in  that  direction. 

My  father,  an  elder  in  the  church,  not  so  spiritual, 
(I  never  heard  him  pray  or  give  public  testimony) 
was  exceedingly  anxious  to  lead  me  in  habits  of 
industry  and  economy,  so  necessary  in  pioneer  life, 
and  as  soon  as  I  was  strong  enough,  I  was  put  to 
work  with  some  simple  implements,  such  as  an  ax 
and  hammer,  saw  and  ox-goad,  the  necessary  ad- 
juncts to  subdue  the  forests. 

My  first  attendance  of  school  in  Michigan  was  in 
the  autumn  of  1833,  at  a  neighbor's,  a  half-mile 
away,  in  one  part  of  their  log  cabin.  My  teacher 
was  Lydia  Hoxie,  and  I  being  of  the  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin (left-handed),  she  allowed  me  to  endeavor  to 


12  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

write  with  my  left  hand,  which  my  next  teacher  for- 
bade, a  thing  hard  to  unlearn.  The  New  Testament 
was  our  reading  book.  The  following  winter  I  went 
to  my  Uncle  Jacob's,  three  miles  away,  to  board  and 
attend  school.  The  teacher  (Mr.  Steere)  announced 
at  the  opening  of  the  term  that  whoever  would  lead 
off  head  the  most  times  each  week  would  receive  as 
a  reward  a  nice  primer.  A  school-week  was  six 
days  then.  I  at  once  resolved  those  primers  should 
be  mine,  and  won  every  Saturday  night.  Pretty 
hard  on  the  other  members  of  the  class,  but  I  could 
not  afford  to  be  behind.    Twelve  prizes  at  the  end. 

From  the  time  I  was  twelve  years  old  I  had  only 
the  winters  for  school.  Father  said  to  me  one  Mon- 
day morning,  '*If  thee  will  learn  the  multiplication 
table  completely  this  week,  I  will  give  thee  twenty- 
five  cents."  I  immediately  set  to  work  for  the  prize, 
and  by  Saturday  could  give  backward  or  forward  or 
promiscuously,  the  correct  products,  and  the  bill 
was  paid.  Unlike  many,  I  did  not  have  to  turn  to  the 
tables  when  solving  under  that  rule,  afterward  math- 
ematics being  my  forte. 

The  district  school  was  unsatisfactory,  and  soon 
father  secured  a  teacher,  who  was  a  Friend,  and 
opened  a  select  school  in  the  old  log  cabin,  which 
was  vacated  at  the  completion  of  a  goodly  frame 
building.     For  several  terms  about  twenty  of  the 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  13 

neighbor's  children  and  our  family  made  up  a  good 
attendance,  with  Maria  and  Lucinda  Hoag  as  teach- 
ers. Later,  father  built  a  school  building  at  his  own 
expense,  and  continued  the  school  until  I  was  eigh- 
teen years  of  age.  A  Friends  school  having  been 
opened  in  a  part  of  the  meeting  house  at  Tecumseh, 
father  secured  a  boarding  place  for  me,  and  for  four 
months,  without  the  loss  of  a  day,  I  was  a  diligent 
student  under  a  noble  Christian  instructor,  Martin 
M.  Thorne.  This  was  in  the  winter  of  1845-46.  I 
made  rapid  progress  so  that  the  next  winter  I  taught 
my  first  school  at  twelve  dollars  per  month.  At  the 
close,  I  persuaded  my  parents  to  let  me  attend  what 
was  then  called  "The  Graham  School,"  (afterward 
Raisin  Institute)  an  institution  of  high  grade,  under 
the  auspices  of  that  noted  Christian  heroine  "Aunt" 
Laura  Haviland. 

The  principal,  a  Congregational  minister,  John 
Patchen,  was  a  noteworthy  instructor,  who  urged 
me  to  take  a  college  course.  Here  I  had  the  privi- 
lege of  the  morning  devotion  and  the  weekly  prayer- 
meeting.  There  I  closed  my  school  days,  and  going 
back  to  the  farm,  joined  father  in  the  farmer's  toil  in 
the  summer,  and  taught  school  in  the  winter.  Dur- 
ing this  period  I  was  elected  township  school  in- 
spector by  the  "Know  Nothing  Party,"  and  the 
name  and  the  candidate  fitted  well  together.     This 


14  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

experience  was  a  good  discipline  in  the  study  of 
human  nature. 

I  was  yet  without  a  Christian  experience.  The 
parental  home  was  such  as  to  heighten  my  attach- 
ment for  it.  The  menu  was  hard  to  excel,  the  gov- 
ernment firm  and  fair,  companionship  mutual.  No 
daily  family  altar,  literature  commendable  and 
chaste. 

As  I  trace  further  the  Christian  discipline  of  that 
devoted  self-sacrificing  home,  my  readers  must  be 
patient  till  I  reach  the  pivotal  epoch  that  wrought  a 
complete  and  radical  change  in  my  life  work. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HAVING  traced  the  secular  side  of  my  life  up  to 
my  majority,  I  now  more  in  detail  aim  to  pic- 
ture the  things  that  were  of  great  gain  to  me  on  the 
side  of  religious  training  and  discipline. 

At  the  age  of  six  I  began  the  attendance  of  Friends 
meetings  in  a  log  shanty,  12  x  16,  erected  by  Syl- 
vanus  Westgate,  one  and  a  half  miles  from  my  pres- 
ent residence,  a  rustic  edifice,  where  God  was  hon- 
ored and  worshipped.  The  pews  were  slabs  from 
the  denizens  of  the  forest,  and  improvised  with  legs. 
These  were  like  cushioned  seats  to  the  true  wor- 
shipper, feeling  that  he  was  in  the  vestibule  of 
Heaven,  near  the  palace  of  the  King  eternal,  in- 
visible. 

Raisin  Preparative  Meeting  was  a  transplanted 
body  of  believers  from  Royalton,  Niagara  County, 
New  York,  an  organized  part  of  Farmington 
Quarterly  Meeting,  New  York  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Orthodox  Friends  who  migrated  en  masse  from  their 
homeland,  with  their  Preparative  Meeting  records, 
in  1832  to  1834,  and  like  squatter  sovereigns  found 
their  land  of  promise. 

15 


1 6  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

The  old  mathematical  rule  of  Permutation  had  its 
essence  here.  Bowerman,  Haviland,  Westgate,  were 
the  changes  rung  on  the  forest  winds,  north,  south, 
east  and  west.  That  is  to  say,  nine-tenths  of  the 
membership  had  for  surname,  Westgate,  Haviland, 
Bowerman,  back  and  forth,  up  and  down,  inside  and 
outside.  In  fact  they  had  intermarried  until  it  was 
to  all  a  puzzle  to  determine  their  exact  kinship. 

Their  families  were  large,  but  to  meeting  they 
must  go  twice  a  week  as  a  matter  of  conscience,  and 
then  when  a  "traveling  Friend"  came  and  had  an 
appointment,  the  whole  neighborhood  was  notified 
by  a  messenger,  inviting  all.  I  well  remember  when 
that  worthy  herald  of  the  Gospel,  Christopher  Healy, 
of  Pennsylvania,  arrived,  clad  in  knee  breeches,  and 
a  soft  broadbrim  hat,  somewhat  in  appearance  like 
a  clown.  A  half-finished  barn  was  secured  for  a 
meeting,  to  which  a  large  audience  gathered.  I  saw 
him  mount  a  dry  ^oods  box  and  pour  out  an  hour's 
message  with  holy  unction  to  the  wonder  of  all. 

Congregation  swelled  and  larger  quarters  were 
builded  for  school  and  meeting.  Infants'  cries  and 
chatter  were  a  conspicuous  part,  silence  led  and 
prayer  and  preaching  the  exception.  Morality  pre- 
vailed with  occasional  revelations  of  depravity,  a 
contagious  disease  of  the  soul,  even  though  reared 
under  benign  influences. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  17 

We  were  a  common  people,  having  John  White 
and  Charles  Haviland  as  our  recorded  ministers. 
The  former  was  subject  to  epileptic  fits;  he  never 
had  them  during  the  meeting  hour,  but  often  soon 
after  the  close.  After  a  few  years,  Ansel  Roberts,  a 
minister,  came  from  New  York,  and  settled  in  our 
limits.  He  was  a  tall  man,  with  a  glowing  counte- 
nance, cheerful  disposition,  abreast  of  his  time,  a 
pleasant  speaker,  kind  to  the  young,  with  drawing 
power,  and  was  made  a  peculiar  blessing  to  the 
church.  To  manifest  their  deep  desire  that  I  should 
be  a  Friend,  father  went  to  the  hatter  and  had  my 
measure  taken  for  a  new  hat,  manufactured  to  order. 
When  the  finished  product  came  out  I  beheld  a 
white,  long  fur,  broadbrim  of  the  pristine  ideal,  the 
adornment  of  a  youth  of  twelve  years.  And  to  har- 
monize therewith,  mother  spun  and  wove  a  fabric 
and  passed  it  on  to  the  fuller  and  then  to  the  tailor, 
and  out  came  a  fine  straight-collared  coat  in  brown 
color,  fit  for  life.  Inside  this  and  under  such  a  cover 
I  seemed  like  a  flea  under  an  umbrella.  I  had  no 
relish  for  it,  and  my  heart  rebelled.  My  parents 
saw  it,  and  in  their  kindness  did  not  persist  in  a  long 
use  of  them.  In  relating  this  incident,  I  would  cast 
no  unkind  reflections  on  their  sacred  memory  or 
motives. 


1 8  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

In  those  days  there  were  no  Sabbath  Schools  for 
the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  no  organized  method  of 
Bible  Study.  Mother  had  especial  delight  in  having 
me  read  from  the  Blessed  Book  while  rushed  in  the 
household  duties.  There  were  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment two  names  sweeter  than  all  others,  viz. :  Christ 
Jesus.  Ecclesiastics,  twelfth  chapter,  became  a  fa- 
vorite in  my  youthful  life,  and  the  proverbs  were 
cherished  as  w^ords  fitly  spoken,  like  apples  of  gold 
in  pictures  of  silver,  freighted  with  lasting  benefit 
to  me ;  also  the  parts  of  the  Apochraphy  such  as  the 
wisdom  of  Solomon  and  the  song  of  the  three  He- 
brew children  out  of  the  furnace,  were  the  delight 
of  my  mind. 

When  about  fifteen  years  of  age  our  dear  friend, 
Ansel  Rogers,  opened  a  Scripture  school  in  our 
meeting  house.  The  first  lesson  of  the  third  chapter 
of  Matthew  was  selected  to  be  committed  to  mem- 
ory and  recited  the  next  Firstday.  At  the  appointed 
time  I  was  able  to  give  it  verbatim,  from  beginning 
to  end.  I  was  naturally  a  timid  boy,  often  failing 
in  trying  to  give  a  declamation,  but  in  my  lesson  my 
motto  was  to  excel,  and  seldom  grieved  my  in- 
structors. 

I  loved  teaching,  and  to  impart  knowledge  to  chil- 
dren was  my  delight,  and  even  yet  the  little  ones  are 
the  glory  and  joy  of  my  heart.    With  these  environ- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  19 

ments  I  had  come  to  the  estate  of  manhood  without 
profanity,  hated  the  use  of  slang  phrases,  shunned 
the  vile  and  the  frivolous,  and  revered  the  good. 

To  an  over-ruling  Providence  in  extreme  danger 
and  very  close  perils  I  owe  a  debt  of  increasing 
gratitude  for  these  years  of  my  minority  for  His 
good  hand  upon  me,  and  the  real  fact  that  out  from 
that  same  hearthstone  went  three  brothers  and  four 
sisters  to  lead  a  Christian  life,  three  of  whom  are 
reaping  their  reward.  Thus  with  a  father's  untiring 
energy  and  a  mother's  constant  watchfulness,  I  neared 
my  majority,  with  a  keen  sense  of  right  and  wrong, 
up  to  a  good  degree  of  moral  integrity.  I  had  a 
deep-seated  desire  to  gain  a  livelihood  and  to  develop 
laudably  a  character  worthy  of  my  training,  and 
that  might  give  me  a  reputation  among  my  asso- 
ciates that  would  win  their  applause. 

I  had  sat  under  the  ministry  of  very  many  of  our 
noteworthy  Friends,  such  as  Daniel  Smith,  David 
Harkness,  Elijah  Brownell,  John  Underwood,  Eliza 
Brewer,  Mary  Thomas,  John  Pease,  Benjamin  Sebo- 
hem,  Robert  Lindsay,  David  Bennett,  John  Henry 
Douglass  and  many  others,  but  was  yet  void  of  a 
Christian  experience.  A  thousand  times  under 
conviction  of  the  lack  of  the  one  thing  most  need- 
ful, a  change  of  heart,  and  safe  shelter  in  the  blood 
of  the  covenant,  but  with   no   definite  step   for   it. 


20  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

There  was  no  wilful,  hard  unbelief,  and  again  and 
again  these  words  commended  themselves  to  me : 

"Be  a  Christian,  naught  is  higher 
In  the  gilded  list  of  fame. 
In  the  catalogue  of  virtue, 
Not  a  higher,  holier  name." 


CHAPTER  V 

HAVING  reached  man's  estate,  my  parents  be- 
ing solicitous  that  I  should  pursue  such  a 
course  in  life  as  would  insure  a  business  for  a  liveli- 
hood, and  having  been  held  to  the  farm  which  I  had 
learned  to  love,  porposed  on  my  twenty-first  birth- 
day to  give  me  forty  acres  of  land,  unimproved, 
nearly  twenty  miles  distant,  outside  of  a  Friends 
settlement.  This  was  not  altogether  after  my  liking. 
After  further  consideration,  it  was  fixed  for  me  to 
buy  forty  acres  off  the  homestead,  which  had  a  small 
improvement,  but  no  buildings.  I  was  still  to  re- 
main at  home  in  the  service  of  my  father  at  eight 
dollars  per  month,  exclusive  of  the  cost  of  apparel, 
my  wages  to  apply  on  the  purchase  price  of  the 
land,  which  was  two  hundrd  dollars  over  and  above 
what  the  other  was  appraised  at.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  my  twenty-second  year,  I  served  in  this  ca- 
pacity with  entire  satisfaction,  teaching  the  follow- 
ing winter. 

In  the  spring  of  my  twenty-third  year  I  hired  to 
George  Crane  to  serve  on  his  farm  for  eight  months 
at  twelve  dollars  per  month.     My  employer  was  a 

21 


22  Incidoits  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

noted  Friend  who  came  from  near  Palmyra,  New 
York,  at  the  same  time  we  did,  crossing  Lake  Erie 
on  the  same  steamer,  and  settled  about  three  miles 
from  us. 

In  this  hospitable,  w^ell-to-do  home,  I  greatly  en- 
joyed those  months  of  service,  declining  to  receive 
any  part  of  my  wages  until  the  term  of  service  had 
expired.  This  enabled  me  to  cancel  my  indebted- 
ness for  my  land.  During  that  autumn,  1849,  Octo- 
ber 2,  my  dear,  sainted  mother  passed  to  her  reward, 
aged  forty-nine  years,  one  month  and  fourteen  days. 

The  central  figure  in  the  home  circle  had  left  for 
the  better  country,  that  is  the  Heavenly,  having  em- 
braced the  promises  and  endured  unto  the  end.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1848,  while  serving  my  father, 
mother's  health  was  declining,  and  I  remember  well 
on  a  certain  beautiful,  sunny  day  we  had  a  visit  from 
two  young  ladies,  Phila  A.  and  Lydia  Colvin,  whose 
father,  Isaac  Colvin,  had  recently  settled  in  our 
neighborhood.  Toward  evening  a  prolific  shower 
made  it  too  moist  for  these  ladies  to  walk  home,  and 
when  night  was  approaching,  father  suggested  that 
I  hitch  to  the  carriage  and  conduct  them  home.  This 
was  my  first  introduction  to  Phila  A.  Colvin,  who,  in 
less  than  two  years,  became  my  wife. 

George  Crane  and  Charity,  his  wife,  were  her 
grandparents,  leading  Friends  in  Adrian  Quarterl}- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  23 

Meeting,  with  a  Friends  meeting  house  on  their 
farm.  While  serving  at  that  home  I  began  paying 
particular  attention  to  Phila.  I  shall  never  forget 
as  I  came  in  one  Firstday  evening  with  a  brimming 
pail  of  milk,  ''Aunt  Charity  "  said,  "  Jacob,  thee's 
a  good  milker.  I  want  thee  to  know  we  are  well 
pleased  because  of  thy  attention  to  Phila." 

Winter  found  me  teaching  again  in  the  home  dis- 
trict. On  the  15th  of  January,  1851,  my  father  mar- 
ried his  second  wife,  a  widow  with  seven  children, 
whose  farm  adjoined  mine,  bringing  the  two  families 
together,  and  for  the  remainder  of  my,  school  term 
there  were  fifteen,  including  teacher,  went  from  that 
home  circle  with  a  large,  well-filled  basket  to  meet 
the  keen  demands  of  appetite.  One  day  a  Friend 
minister,  while  visiting  families,  tarried  a  night  with 
us,  and  in  the  family  sitting  he  remarked :  "I  do  not 
see  why  you  may  not  be  a  numerous,  happy  family." 
My  step-mother's  name  was  Eunice  Wooster,  her 
maiden  name  Bowerman.  This  marriage  was  sol- 
emnized after  Friends  order  in  the  old  meetinghouse 
at  Raisin  Center,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  congre- 
gation. To  this  transaction  my  lady  accompanied 
me.  Soon  after  I  timidly  asked  her  father  what  he 
thought  about  my  choice  of  Phila.  He  replied : 
"When  you  invited  her  to  join  you  in  a  Fourth  of 
July  ride,  I  told  her  to  secure  you."     Suffice  it  to 


24  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

say  that  May  8,  1851,  two  days  before  my  twenty- 
fourth  birthday,  she  and  I  joined  right  hands  in  her 
own  home  before  many  witnesses,  and  James  V. 
Watson,  a  Methodist  Episcopal  pastor  of  Adrian 
City,  performed  the  ceremony  that  legally  made  us 
husband  and  wife.  Here  let  me  say,  this  was  no 
friction  match,  but  void  of  brimstone  or  regret  or 
need  of  judge  to  divorce.  To  all  my  young  readers 
let  me  kindly  advise  that  to  seek  a  life  companion 
in  purest  motives,  is  most  peculiarly  honorable  and 
ought  not  to  be  treated  as  a  pastime.  For  two  lives 
to  blend  together  in  unison  is  the  highest  privilege 
in  earthly  companionship.  A  true  wife  is  a  posses- 
sion of  vast  significance,  while  the  opposite  is  a  dead 
weight,  with  tons  of  confusion  and  irritability.  A 
candidate  for  matrimony  of  either  sex  has  need  oi 
great  care  in  the  attachments  they  make  and  the 
choice  of  associations. 

After  fifty-nine  years  of  unbroken  married  life,  I 
am  able  to  thank  God  for  a  helpmate  in  all  the  per- 
plexities by  the  way,  and  value  unceasingly  the  true, 
hearty  devotion  of  my  faithful  wife.  Previous  to 
my  wedding  day  I  had  engaged  to  work  on  shares 
the  100-acre  farm  of  Calvin  Crane,  an  uncle  of  my 
wife.  A  few  days  after  our  marriage  I  yoked  my 
coal-black,  four-year-old  oxen,  hitched  them  to  the 
big  wagon,  took  in  a  few  of  our  household  necessi- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  25 

ties,  and  wife  and  I  went  out  from  her  pleasant  home 
to  make  a  new  one,  an  untried  experience,  and  as  I 
observed  her  moistened  eyes,  there  rushed,  perforce, 
the  immense  meaning  of  the  consecration  covered  by 
the  marriage  vow  to  be  mutually  shared.  The  next 
two  years  were  toilsome  but  measurably  successful, 
and  by  teaching  each  winter  I  realized  a  net  gain  of 
five  hundred  dollars,  which  I  invested  in  forty  acres 
adjoining  that  mentioned  above.  My  wife  and  I  were 
birthright  Friends,  and  having  been  married  by  a 
minister  contrary  to  discipline,  some  action  became 
necessary  to  set  the  matter  right,  so  the  overseers 
simply  asked  us  if  we  wished  to  remain  members  of 
Friends.  We  replied  in  the  affirmative  and  they  so 
reported,  which  was  satisfactory.  This  was  in  the 
transition  era. 

We  now  planned  to  build  a  cottage  on  our  own 
real  estate,  and  October  1,  1853,  found  us  domiciled 
under  our  own  roof,  where  for  ten  years  we  shared 
the  blessings  and  testings  of  covenant  life.  There 
came  three  children,  viz. :  Clara  Eliza,  Florence 
Ellen  and  George  Howard,  an  earthly  heritage 
which  only  a  Divine  mind  could  measure.  George 
H.  died  of  cholera  infantum,  September  22,  1863, 
aged  two  years  and  ten  days.  My  wife's  grand- 
mother was  buried  the  same  day.  Myself  and 
daughter,  Florence  were  near  death's  door  at  the 


26  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

same  time,  but  God  in  His  mercy  restored  us  to  life 
and  health  and  made  us  also  realize  that  our  life 
work  was  not  finished. 

"  When  all  Thy  mercies,  oh  my  God, 
My  rising  soul  surveys ; 
Transported  with  the  view,  I'm  lost 
In  wonder,  love  and  praise." 


CHAPTER    VI 

BEIXG  now  settled  in  our  own  home,  and  greatly 
desirous  to  subdue  and  cultivate  that  which 
we  were  in  possession  of,  with  persevering  industry 
woven  into  our  being,  and  willing  to  plod  through 
the  constant  and  united  labor  of  an  agricultural  oc- 
cupation, for  twelve  consecutive  years,  this  was  the 
uppermost  ambition. 

When  children  came,  great  thoughts  forced  them- 
selves upon  us.  My  wife,  like  myself,  had  held  sway 
over  other  people's  children,  but  now  here  were  our 
very  own,  God  given,  to  be  trained  for  Him,  which 
was  calculated  to  test  the  best  mettle  in  us.  Here 
we  began  to  discover  our  weakness  and  lack  of 
inner  energy,  and  requisite  resource  for  the  Her- 
culean task.  These  were  years  of  anxiety,  and  neg- 
lect of  the  one  thing  needful,  the  birth  from  above, 
especially  with  regard  to  myself.  My  wife  was 
reared  under  the  self-sacrificing  devotion  of  a  Qiris- 
tian  mother,  aside  from  Friends  settlement,  in  a 
field  occupied  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  had  found  Jesus  in  her  teens,  being  a  quiet, 
trustful  believer,  and  when  finally  I  said  one  Xew 
Year's  morning,  "I  have  been  thinking  we  ought  to 

27 


28  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

take  up  daily  Bible  reading,"  she  answered  promptly, 
''  So  have  I/' 

We  at  once  commenced  that  most  commendable 
practice,  but  with  me  it  was  yet  a  matter  of  form. 

These  years  found  me  developing  the  leaven  of 
covetousness,  so  that  in  the  spring  of  1861,  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  I  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  a  steam  sawmill,  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
distant,  involving  an  indebtedness  of  one  thousand 
dollars.  This  required  increased  push  and  hard 
labor.  Two  years  later  I  took  stock  in  a  cheese  fac- 
tory, and  was  elected  superintendent.  I  was  now 
handling  large  amounts  of  money,  often  working 
eighteen  hours  a  day.  In  addition  to  all  this,  I  pur- 
chased another  forty  acres  of  land,  adjoining  the 
mill,  mortgaging  the  old  home.  In  the  midst  of  all 
this,  I  went  to  meeting  on  Firstday  morning,  May 
31,  1863,  and  my  cousin,  Lydia  B.  Wilson,  a  very 
dear,  devoted  minister,  spoke  the  message  of  salva- 
tion, in  tears  and  simplicity,  with  a  winning  spirit, 
which  I  did  not  let  go.  All  the  remainder  of  that 
day,  there  was  great  unrest  within  me.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  as  I  purposed  to  care  for  my  corn,  I 
found  myself  wandering  about  in  the  forest,  and  on 
reaching  the  base  of  a  giant  oak,  my  knees  smote 
together;  heart-broken,  a  flood  of  tears  came,  ac- 
companied with  a  penitent  vocal  prayer,  "  God  be 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  29 

merciful  to  me  a  sinner,  and  forgive  my  sins  for 
Jesus'  sake."  An  instantaneous  change  came,  certi- 
fied to  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  there  I  made  cove- 
nant to  follow  Jesus,  whatever  it  might  cost. 

June  1,  1863,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years  and 
twenty-one  days,  at  9:30  a.m.,  I  was  born  again. 
Hundreds  would  have  called  me  a  Christian  before, 
but  now  I  knew  for  myself.  I  had,  ere  this,  taught 
in  the  Scripture  schools  and  served  my  Monthly 
Meeting  as  clerk  for  a  number  of  years.  I  had  now 
come  to  a  tremendous  fact,  not  to  be  undermined  by 
any  sophistry  of  Satan.  It  harmonized  with  Scrip- 
ture. Accompanied  with  the  consciousness  of  peace 
with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  had 
sought  definitely,  believed  definitely,  received  defin- 
itely, was  definitely  adopted  into  the  family  tof 
God,  and  could  by  the  Spirit  say,  definitely,  "  My 
Father  which  art  in  Hieaven,  hallowed  be  Thy 
name."  I  now  knew  definitely,  I  had  a  personal 
Saviour  in  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord.  Here  I  most  em- 
phatically declare  that  such  a  radical  change  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  over  and  above  the  best  religious 
training,  the  home,  school,  or  church  can  give,  for  it 
is  a  personal  revelation  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  the 
inner  consciousness,  of  acceptance  in  the  Beloved. 
My  reader,  you  can  not  be  too  definite  in  seeking 
and  finding  Christ.    It  must  not  be  guessed  at. 


30  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

With  this  unmistakable  change  came  the  con- 
scious call  to  the  ministry,  accompanied  with  the 
fact  of  personal  inability.  My  public  service  for  five 
years  was  largely  on  my  knees,  in  vocal  prayer  in 
the  congregation,  yet  often,  when  alone,  I  found  my- 
self mentally  addressing  the  people.  I  had  three 
miles  to  travel  on  foot  and  return  daily,  while  teach- 
ing, yet  ofttimes,  I  was  lost  to  surroundings  amid 
the  overwhelming  interest  of  mentally  delivering 
messages  to  fancied  auditors. 

In  the  spring  of  1865,  in  the  rush  of  business,  I 
broke  ground  for  the  erection  of  my  present  dwell- 
ing house,  still  retaining  my  interest  in  the  mill,  con- 
stantly and  personally  delivering  lumber  to  the  city 
by  wagon,  often  making  twelve  trips  a  week,  twelve 
miles  each  trip;  besides  the  oversight  of  two  farms, 
a  little  later  superintendent  and  salesman  of  a  cheese 
factory,  receiving  daily  the  milk  of  five  hundred 
cows.  In  all  this  rush,  there  was  ringing  in  my  ears 
like  the  sound  of  many  waters,  ''  Preach  the  Gos- 
pel." Our  dwelling  was  completed  for  us  to  occupy 
the  first  of  July.  With  all  this  I  became  fully  con- 
vinced that  the  Lord  had  a  better  service  for  me, 
and  humanity;  so  I  said  to  my  wife  one  day,  ''I 
believe  I  ought  to  unload,  and  I  think  the  first  move 
is  to  sell  the  first  farm  of  eighty  acres,"  and  I  offered 
it  for  sale  for  $5,000.     I  soon  had  a  purchaser,  who 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  31 

could  pay  full  purchase  price  in  two  months,  and  the 
contract  was  signed  accordingly.  Before  the  time 
had  expired,  there  came  a  financial  panic  and  banks 
refused  to  pay  their  depositors.  My  purchaser  came 
and  said,  "  I  can  not  take  your  farm."  On  consulta- 
tion, I  said  to  him,  '*  I  do  business  with  your  banker ; 
let  us  go  together  and  interview  him."  This  we  did, 
making  an  open  statement  of  the  whole  matter  w^ith 
my  personal  liabilities  which  I  must  fail  to  meet  if 
this  contract  failed.  He  answered,  "  While  we  are 
not  for  the  present  paying  deposito/s,  you  may  have 
the  money,"  and  the  good  hand  of  God  was  upon  us. 
Next;  the  mill  and  stock  were  disposed  of,  and  this 
left  me  with  forty  acres  of  land,  on  which  was  my 
residence  and  the  cheese  factory.  My  sales  of  cheese 
took  me  from  place  to  place,  and  often  gave  me  the 
privilege  for  personal  Christian  work.  My  reason 
for  this  detail  is  to  show  what  grace  wrought  in  and 
for  me  as  I  moved  under  the  conscious  fact  that  it 
was  God's  will  that  I  should  preach  the  Gospel.  My 
purposes  were  changed,  and  in  the  very  beginning  of 
my  public  service  I  knew  He  had  made  me  His 
choice.  I  was  entirely  saved  from  any  anxious  de- 
sire for  promotion,  by  the  church,  thank  God.  I 
was  sure  He  must  do  the  promoting. 

With   these   burning  convictions,   I    pressed   for- 
ward, did  not  confer  with  flesh  and  blood,  and  one 


32  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

day,  after  having  given  a  burning  message,  at  the 
dismissal  of  the  meeting,  Moses  Bowerman,  a  live, 
sweet  elder,  very  kindly  said,  ''Jacob,  some  of  us 
begin  to  feel  as  though  the  church  ought  to  recog- 
nize thy  gift  in  the  ministry,  but  all  are  not  ready. 
Be  faithful  to  thy  calling."  My  quick  reply  was, 
**  That  is  not  engaging  my  thought.  It  is  foreign  to 
God's  call."  Forced  to  follow  my  unvarying  convic- 
tions, the  reigning  and  ringing  sentiment  of  this 
period  of  my  experience  was  in  complete  harmony 
with  the  following: 

"  Straight  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  road, 
Brother,  for  you  there  is  no  other  mode ; 
If  you  want  to  make  Heaven  your  future  abode, 
You  must  unload,  you  must  unload." 


CHAPTER  VII 

FROM  1863  to  1870,  my  Christian  work  was  con- 
fined within  the  limits  of  Adrian  Quarterly 
Meeting,  then  composed  of  the  following  meetings, 
viz. :  Raisin,  Adrian,  Tecumseh,  Palmyra,  RoUin, 
Woodstock,  Hanover  and  Ypsilanti.  In  company 
with  some  recorded  ministers,  I  often  attended  these 
and  visited  the  families  composing  them. 

It  was  at  the  morning  devotion  at  a  Friend's 
house  at  Ypsilanti,  Michigan,  that  an  overwhelming 
revelation  came  to  me  that  I  should,  on  returning  to 
my  home  meeting,  magnify  the  atoning  sacrifice  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  cross.  In  response 
to  this  I  immediately  obeyed,  and  my  messages  had 
for  their  central  fact  the  redemption  of  the  soul  by 
the  one  offering  made  for  sin  forever. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  many  in  my  home 
church  were  not  prepared  to  receive  it.  A  faithful 
few  stood  by  me.  One  Sabbath  morning  I  entered 
the  church  with  my  Bible  under  my  arm,  and  laid 
it  on  the  desk  before  me.  The  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures in  the  devotional  services  had  never  been 
known  in  our  meeting.     I  had  not  expected  to  use 

33 


34  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

it  till  in  the  Sabbath  School  that  was  to  follow. 
Soon  I  felt  I  ought  to  speak  from  a  text  of  Scrip- 
ture that  I  feared  I  could  not  quote  correctly.  With 
this  conviction,  in  order  not  to  offend,  I  said, 
*'  Friends,  there  is  a  text  of  Scripture  that  I  feel  the 
Lord  would  have  me  use,  and  I  fear  I  can  not  quote 
it  correctly.  I  would  like  the  privilege  of  opening 
my  Bible  and  reading  it."  In  reply,  Mary  P.  Jones, 
a  minister,  and  dear  mother  in  Israel,  said,  "  I  think 
thee  better  proceed  as  thee  thinks  best."  This  was 
confirmed  at  once  by  the  hearty  accord  of  Moses 
Bowerman,  an  elder.  My  liberty  in  using  it  was 
unusual,  as  acknowledged  by  many. 

Near  this  time  our  two  daughters,  Clara  and  Flor- 
ence, had  learned  to  sing  fairly  well,  and  we  were 
to  have  a  Sunday  School  conference  at  the  church 
on  Sabbath  afternoon,  when  the  girls  asked  (before 
leaving  home)  if  they  might  sing.  I  said,  "  Yes,  if 
you  find  a  proper  place  for  it."  This  they  did.  This 
was  by  some  declared  to  be  an  innovation,  and  a 
meeting  was  called  to  forestall  any  repetition  of  such 
a  procedure.  My  father,  who  was  then  the  head  of 
the  meeting,  being  grieved,  opened  the  subject.  It 
was  stated,  in  reply  to  him,  that  when  Jesus  and 
His  disciples  had  partaken  of  the  Passover  supper, 
"  they  sang  a  hymn  and  went  out  into  the  Mount  of 
Olives."      Father   replied,   "  That   was   not   audible 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  35 

singing."  Immediately  a  minister's  daughter  turned 
to  Acts  16:25  and  read,  ''And  at  midnight  Paul  and 
Silas  prayed  and  sang  praises  unto  God,  and  the 
prisoners  heard  them,"  adding  that  that  must  have 
been  audible  singing.  The  result  of  this  conference 
was  liberty  of  song  under  the  leading  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Thus  by  mildness  and  brotherly  kindness 
the  freedom  of  real,  spiritual  worship  was  winning 
its  way. 

The  first  great  breaking  out  of  a  real  revival  was 
during  the  spring  of  1870,  in  a  series  of  meetings  led 
by  Amos  Kenworthy.  Many  who,  morally  speak- 
ing, were  devoted  to  punctuality  in  business  and 
attendance  of  meeting,  found  Jesus  as  a  personal 
Saviour,  coming  out  of  dead  formality  into  a  living 
experience.  One  instance  is  worthy  of  notice.  Libni 
Kelley,  over  seventy  years  of  age,  a  Friend  by  birth- 
right, a  strict  attender  of  both  Sabbath  and  week- 
day meetings  for  over  forty  years,  a  user  of  tobacco, 
was  soundly  converted,  and  made  this  open  confes- 
sion as  to  his  former  condition :  "  Friends,  I  must 
disclose  the  manner  of  my  thoughts  during  the  past 
of  my  attendance  of  this  meeting.  You  know  I  in- 
vented a  rat  trap  that  was  always  set,  and  always 
sprung.  I  also  invented  an  instrument  to  catch 
hogs,  and  obtained  a  patent  on  them.  I  also  built  a 
steam  sawmill  in  vour  midst.     All  these  I  planned 


36  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

during  the  hours  I  have  spent  in  our  meetings." 
From  this  time  it  was  his  constant  delight  to  praise 
God  for  the  miracle  of  grace  wrought  in  him,  and 
with  a  lengthened  life  to  ninety  years  he  was  an  ac- 
tive example  of  a  humble  follower  of  his  Saviour, 
and  was  gathered  ripe  for  the  harvest. 

I  was  recorded  a  minister  by  Raisin  Monthly 
Meeting,  April  8,  1872.  I  had  before  this  in  a  Gen- 
eral Meeting  called  my  wife  and  one  daughter  (the 
other  being  absent)  to  stand  by  my  side  before  the 
congreigation  for  our  consecration.  I  remarked, 
"  We  are  a  family  of  five,  one  of  whom  is  in  Heaven, 
we  now  give  ourselves  in  entire  consecration  to  God 
for  His  services  so  long  as  we  shall  live."  Under 
the  preaching  of  David  B.  Updegrafif  from  the  text, 
"  Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  be- 
lieved?"  I  received  very  definitely  the  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  while  the  message  was  being  de- 
livered. It  brought  a  victory  I  had  never  known 
before.  This  was  seven  years  and  five  months  after 
my  conversion. 

I  now  realized  more  fully  the  calling  from  above 
to  minister  of  the  things  of  God  for  winning  souls. 
I  now,  with  the  Spirit's  help,  began  searching  the 
Scripture  for  the  deep  things  of  God,  proving  that 
the  entrance  of  the  Word  of  God  giveth  light,  so  that 
the  earnest  study  of  my  Bible  revealed  a  mine  of 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  37 

spiritual  wealth,  ready  for  use.  The  Old  will  and 
Testament  bristled  with  the  wisdom  that  is  pure, 
then  peaceable,  gentle  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full 
of  mercy  and  good  fruits  without  partiality  and 
without  hypocrisy.  Oh  what  stupendous  signifi- 
cance in  the  type  and  shadow  of  good  things  to 
come,  the  very  pattern  of  heavenly  things  and  the 
prophesies  became  luminous  with  the  historic  Christ 
than  which  there  is  none  other.  My  message  drew 
from  the  Old  and  New  will  of  God,  and  under  the 
searchlight  of  Divine  inspiration,  traced  the  lines 
between  sin  and  salvation,  and  I  became  fixed  in  my 
purpose  to  declare  that  God  loved  righteousness  and 
hated  iniquity,that  the  wicked  should  be  turned  into 
hell  (a  place)  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God,  and 
the  redeemed  housed  in  Heaven  (a  place).  It  is  no 
Gospel  that  rejects  any  portion  of  the  sacred  Scrip- 
ture, or  denies  the  virgin  birth  or  Deity  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Satan  would  have  us  despise  Doc- 
trine and  exalt  unbelief.  Shame  upon  any  self-exalted 
egotist  among  Friends  who  would  expunge  the  doc- 
trine of  substitution  or  mediation  of  the  Divine  plan 
as  repeated  in  the  Christians'  Text  Book.  Visible 
results  became  apparent;  conversions  followed,  even 
among  those  in  my  own  employ. 

In  the  autumn  of  1872,  I  obtained  my  first  cre- 
dentials to  attend  three  Quarterly  Meetings  in  Indi- 


38  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

ana,  and  the  meetings  composing  them,  viz. :  Wa- 
bash, Mississinewa  and  Back  Creek,  Grant  County, 
with  wife  as  my  companion,  which  was  as  a  training 
school  for  a  novice.  Wabash  Meeting,  lacking  suf- 
ficient spiritual  life,  was  the  first  to  greet  us  and 
hear  as  from  above  the  message  of  God's  errand 
boy.  Mississinewa,  now  Marion,  was  a  new  meet- 
ing, just  organized,  and  had  greater  liberty  and  life. 
Here  we  first  met  Levi  Jessup,  one  of  the  Lord's 
heralds,  and  the  Overmans.  In  that  congregation 
was  an  elder,  very  deaf,  whose  name  was  Small, 
whose  son  reported  the  message  on  a  slate  as  it  was 
delivered.  I  think  he  was  instantly  killed  years 
after,  being  struck  by  a  fast  train. 

Back  Creek,  now  Fairmount,  held  near  Jonesboro, 
was  a  large  gathering  with  much  freedom.  Here 
we  met  for  the  first  time  that  dear  man  of  God,  \\\\- 
liam  Allen  (colored).  Oh,  what  power  in  prayer. 
He  was  not  yet  a  member  of  Friends  but  came  in 
soon  after,  and  became  an  efficient  minister,  as  many 
will  recall.  I  can  not  recall  all  the  particular  meet- 
ings, but  will  name  a  few  which  we  attended,  viz. : 
Wabash,  Union,  La  Porte,  Jonesboro,  Deer  Creek, 
Oak  Grove,  Walnut  Center,  Amboy,  Fairmount, 
Little  Ridge,  etc.,  then  on  to  Richmond  to  attend 
Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  which  was  held  in  the  old 
gloomy   house,   near   the   present    railroad    station. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  39 

There  was  a  lack  of  light  and  a  constant  noise  from 
the  engines  continually  passing,  which  was  out  of 
harmony  with  the  purpose  of  such  a  gathering.  The 
meeting  was  large  and  full  of  spiritual  life,  as  the 
result  of  the  great  revival  wave  that  manifested  it- 
self in  that  city  and  elsewhere,  especially  among 
Friends.  I  well  remember  that  trophy  of  the  Wil- 
mington (Ohio)  revival  conducted  by  J.  H.  Douglas 
and  D.  B.  Updegrafif,  Judge  Azariah  Doan.  During 
the  session  of  that  meeting  he  made  a  most  earnest 
and  effectual  plea  for  the  necessity  of  a  new  Yearly 
Meeting  house.  A  few  days  ago  I  met  him  again 
at  Wilmington,  ripe  in  years  and  rich  in  experience. 
After  years  of  separation  we  were  somewhat  sur- 
prised to  meet  "Aunt "  Laura  Haviland  in  attend- 
ance of  the  annual  conference.  On  expressing  our 
pleasure  of  meeting  her  again,  she  said  to  my  wife, 
"  I  belong  here  for  I  said  a  long  time  ago,  when  I 
found  a  denomination  half  Friend  and  half  Method- 
ist I  would  join  it.  I  have  found  it  here."  She  had 
left  Friends  and  joined  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  and 
had  returned.  Such  were  the  old-time  victories  of 
the  preaching  of  the  one  gospel  founded  on  the  word 
of  God. 

To  all  my  younger  Friends  in  the  Bible  Training 
Schools  beware  of  the  side  shows  and  enticements 
of  vain  philosophy  which  rest  in  the  head  and  are 


40  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

void  of  heart  experience.  Theory  is  empty,  reason 
speculation,  inner  Hght  a  false  philosophy,  sin  a 
crime  against  God  almighty.  Salvation  through  the 
blood  is  a  stupendous  reality. 

"  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  His  excellent  word, 
What  more  can  He  say  than  to  you  He  hath  said  ? 
Ye  who  unto  Jesus  for  refuge  have  fled?" 


CHAPTER   VIII 

IN  1853,  the  Colvin  home  was  broken  up,  and  two 
of  the  family,  a  son,  Hervey  A.,  and  a  daughter,  De- 
lora  O.  Colvin,  were  taken  into  our  family,  and 
cared  for  as  best  we  could.  Hervey,  a  bright 
boy  of  twelve,  remained  with  us  till  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  Then,  at  his  request,  I  secured  him  a 
position  in  a  leading  grocery  in  the  city.  He  soon 
became  a  partner  in  the  business,  prospering  rapidly. 
He  was  soon  selected  as  cashier  in  a  leading  bank- 
ing firm.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Civil  War, 
served  three  years,  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Nashville,  and  was  honorably  discharged  after  hav- 
ing been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain.  He  de- 
veloped rare  business  faculties,  married  Mary  L. 
Stebbins,  of  Adrian  City,  to  whom  two  sons  were 
born,  viz. :  Will  and  Hervey,  and  died  in  March, 
1885.  Delora,  the  sister,  secured  a  good  education 
at  Raisin  Valley  Seminary  and  the  State  Normal 
School,  Ypsilanti  and  became  a  very  successful 
teacher  and  a  devoted  Christian  lady,  married  my 
youngest  brother,  Joseph,  filled  a  wife  and  mother's 
position  most  nobly,  and  died  in  1908. 

41 


42  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Always  a  tetotaler,  I  now,  in  1872,  broke  from  old 
party  lines  and  lined  up  with  three  others  in  Raisin 
township  in  opposition  to  the  licensed  liquor  saloon, 
feeling  keenly  its  awful  work,  in  near  contact  with 
it,  and  its  universal  havoc  on  home,  happiness  and 
human  life. 

In  my  service  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  I  be- 
came satisfied  that  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart 
demanded  honest  effort  for  its  overthrow,  and  this 
has  been  my  settled  purpose  both  from  platform  and 
pulpit,  as  well  as  personal  protest.  Thank  God  for 
a  conscience  uncondemned,  which  is  a  mighty  force 
in  an  upright  life. 

Adrian  Quarterly  Meeting,  consisting  of  about 
eight  hundred  members  of  New  York  Yearly  Meet- 
ing, which  was  always  held  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  soon  after  the  Civil  War  began  to  realize  the 
need  of  finding  some  nearer  point  for  yearly  meet- 
ing privileges.  There  being  a  move  in  northern  In- 
diana for  a  new  Yearly  Meeting,  composed  of  Wa- 
bash, Northern,  Kokomo,  New  London,  and,  per- 
haps, one  or  two  others,  we  were  invited  to  join 
them,  and  a  committee  met  with  like  committees  of 
the  other  meetings  to  discuss  the  situation.  This 
project  failed,  and  then,  when  Canada  Half  Year's 
Meeting  was  to  become  a  Yearly  Meeting,  set  off 
from  new  York  Yearly  Meeting,  we  were  invited 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  43 

there,  and  the  matter  was  put  into  the  hands  of  a 
committee  which  consisted  of  the  following  persons, 
viz. :  Jeremiah  Westgate,  Elizabeth  Comstock,  Rich- 
ard Williams,  Jacob  Baker  and  Phila  A.  Baker. 
These  attended  the  opening  of  that  meeting.  There 
was  a  large  number  of  delegates  from  all  the  Ameri- 
can Yearly  Meetings  in  attendance,  and  the  gather- 
ing was  marked  with  much  life  and  the  power  of  the 
Spirit.  They  were  a  small,  conservative  body,  but  de- 
voted to  the  work.  During  its  sessions,  July  1  was 
Dominion  Bay,  when  Canada  East  and  Canada 
West  became  one  province.  The  day  was  celebrated 
with  a  martial  display.  Elizabeth  Comstock,  and 
the  wife  of  Robert  Lyndley  Murray  felt  that  a  meet- 
ing in  the  ballroom  of  the  hotel  might  be  a  means  of 
blessing  to  the  soldiery,  and  in  order  to  arrest  their 
attention  the  two  daughters  of  R.  L.  Murray  sang 
from  the  porch  of  the  hotel,  and  then  the  people 
were  asked  to  repair  to  the  ballroom,  where  there 
would  be  given  the  Gospel  message.  The  meeting 
proved  a  success.  Next  day  concerned  women 
Friends  made  a  very  strong  protest  against  such  an 
innovation,  but  after  much  discussion  they  dropped 
the  matter  and  turned  to  regular  business. 

At  this  time  the  United  States  Government  had 
not  resumed  specie  payment, and  a  discount  of  thirty 
per  cent,  was  exacted  by  the  British   Government, 


44  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

and  as  the  baggage  was  overhauled  at  the  custom 
house,  and  also  a  large  share  of  the  membership  of 
Canada  Yearly  Meeting  were  of  foreign  birth,  and 
not  likely  to  easily  affiliate  with  the  descendants  of 
Yankee  New  England,  the  committee  did  not  feel 
warranted  in  reporting  favorably  on  uniting  with 
them. 

In  turning  homeward  we  had  the  company  of. 
David  B.  Morgan,  a  delegate  from  Tennessee.  Stop- 
ping July  4th  at  Niagara  Falls  to  take  in  a  personal 
view  of  the  wonder  of  the  world,  D.  B.  Morgan  ac- 
companied us  to  our  home  and  preached  on  the  Sab- 
bath. During  our  trip  across  Lake  Ontario  I  found 
him  smoking  a  cigar.  I  met  him  afterward  at  New 
Sharon,  Iowa,  acting  as  chaplain  at  a  Masonic  fun- 
eral, he  having  been  deposed  from  the  ministry.  The 
close  of  his  life  was  unsatisfactory.  A  sad  lesson 
of  immense  warning. 


CHAPTER   IX 

IN  THE  year  1865,  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting  adjourned 
to  meet  the  next  year  at  Damascus,  Ohio,  for  the 
first  time. 

Having  failed  to  find  a  favorable  opening  for 
Adrian  Quarterly  Meeting,  to  join  Canada,  v^e  now 
turned  our  thoughts  toward  Ohio.  A  delegation 
was  appointed,  of  which  myself  and  wife  were  a 
part,  to  attend  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting  at  Damascus, 
in  1866,  and  report  their  judgment  as  to  the  desira- 
bility of  taking  steps  to  become  incorporated  into 
that  body. 

The  delegation  attended  it,  and  were  unanimously 
in  favor  of  such  a  procedure.  The  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing accepting  the  report,  request  was  made  of  New 
York  Yearly  Meeting  to  become  a  part  of  Ohio 
Yearly  Meeting,  which  resulted  in  the  practical  re- 
ality in  1869.  In  1870  we  were  regularly  represented 
by  delegates  representing  about  eight  hundred  mem- 
bers. Having  found  a  congenial  home,  with  that 
body  for  the  last  forty  years,  we  have  become  en- 
deared to  each  other  in  fellowship,  in  essential  doc- 
trine, and  wholesome  discipline,  and  while  we  have 

45 


46  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

had  our  testing,  it  stands  at  the  forefront  in  evan- 
geHstic  effort,  and  Foreign  Missionary  work,  and  we 
need  no  New  Theology. 

Being  one  of  the  trophies  of  the  great  revival 
wave  of  the  sixties,  and  fully  in  accord  with  the 
spirit  of  evangelism,  I  began  early  to  enlist  in  re- 
vival movements.  My  first  series  of  meetings  was 
held,  in  company  with  Sarah  J.  Strang,  my  cousin, 
at  Alum  Creek,  Morrow  County,  Ohio,  in  the  win- 
ter of  IS72-73,  continuing  three  weeks,  in  which 
many  souls  were  converted,  reclaimed  and  sancti- 
fied. One  evening,  while  preaching  upon  the  heal- 
ing of  Naaman,  the  leper,  after  getting  well  into  the 
subject,  suddenly  I  became  greatly  impressed  to 
halt,  and  say,  "  I  feel  I  ought  to  stop  and  invite  some 
of  the  young  men  of  this  congregation,  whom  I  per- 
ceive are  under  deep  conviction,  to  come  forward 
to  an  altar  of  prayer. 

Immediately  one  of  the  brightest  of  the  neighbor- 
hood came,  followed  by  a  second,  while  a  third,  who 
was  seated  next  to  the  wall,  with  his  lantern  between 
his  feet,  on  being  invited  by  name,  came  with  great 
haste.  These  all  prayed  through.  The  last  of  these 
three,  at  once  engaged  in  revival  work,  and  in  one 
month  had  been  used  in  the  conversion  of  eighty 
souls,  and  was  soon  recorded  a  minister. 

The  first  of  the  three  was  soon  appointed  to  the 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  47 

station  of  an  elder,  and  afterward  gave  me  the  priv- 
ilege of  officiating  at  his  marriage  to  a  very  precious 
Christian  young  lady.  During  this  series  of  meet- 
ings, while  I  was  working  at  the  altar,  a  young  man, 
while  I  was  talking  with  him,  fell  into  my  lap  in 
great  agony  of  spirit,  and  with  loud,  vehement 
prayer  cried  till  light  came  and  revealed  a  personal 
Saviour,  exclaiming,  "He  is  coming!  He  is  com- 
ing!" 

In  the  autumn  of  1873  I  obtained  for  myself  and 
w^ife  a  minute  to  attend  North  Carolina  Yearly 
Meeting  and  as  many  of  the  meetings  composing  it, 
as  way  opened  for.  We  planned  to  join  an  excur- 
sion at  Cincinnati,  under  the  oversight  of  Addison 
Hadley,  of  Indiana.  We  missed  connections  at  that 
place,  but  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  agent  gave 
us  excursion  rates,  and  we  arrived  at  New  Garden 
near  sunset,  just  as  the  first  session  of  the  Meeting 
of  Ministers  and  Elders  closed.  Here  we  met  Allen 
Jay  for  the  first  time,  having  in  his  hand  a  fine  sam- 
ple of  unripe  persimmons.  He  bade  me,  with  a 
twinkle  in  his  eye,  select  and  eat,  stating  that  they 
were  very  good  for  preachers,  and  experience  soon 
revealed  their  choke  cherry  qualities.  A  minister, 
who  had  to  be  moved  in  a  wheel  chair,  whose  name 
was  Hunt  (I  do  not  recall  his  first  name),  from 
Ohio,  had  requested  a  meeting  that  evening  among 


48  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

the  students  of  the  Boarding  School,  and  as  soon  as 
he  met  me  said,  '*  I  feel  that  the  service  of  that  even- 
ing would  fall  upon  thee,  as  I  have  no  special  mes- 
sage." 

I  responded  to  this  suggestion,  gave  the  message, 
and  at  once  a  very  bright  young  lady  surrendered  to 
Jesus  for  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  was  happily 
converted  and  was  filled  with  laughter,  exclaiming 
again  and  again,  "  Oh  I  am  so  happy !  Oh  I  am  so 
happy ! " 

North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting  was  but  just  ral- 
lying from  the  great  suffering  incident  to  the  Civil 
War,  and  with  a  goodly  representation  of  the  min- 
isters of  the  northern  states,  was  gathering  new  in- 
spiration, and  fresh  courage,  and  the  benefactions  of 
the  Baltimore  Friends  and  others  were  beginning  to 
cause  them  to  look  up. 

My  wife  and  myself  visited  all  the  meetings  east 
of  the  mountains,  many  of  them  under  the  escort  of 
dear  Isham  Cox,  until  we  reached  Rich  Square,  and 
were  right  royally  entertained  at  Elisha  Copeland's, 
to  the  measure  of  their  ability. 

Henry  Outland  and  Benjamin  Brown  were  then 
young  in  the  ministry  and  had  my  sympathy,  and  it 
was  with  sadness  that  I  learned,  years  afterward, 
they  had  been  caught  in  the  seditious  teaching  of  so- 
called  "  Inward   Light "  in  the  soul  of  every  man. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  49 

which  is  contrary  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  w^hich  was 
lost.  No  wonder  such  conceptions  of  a  fallen  race 
should  add  to  blindness  and  schism. 

A  fifty  mile  journey  in  those  November  days, 
across  the  country  to  Belvidere,  taking  our  lunch' 
under  the  trees,  was  enjoyed,  also  the  ferry  at 
Winston.  Belvidere,  the  most  eastern  point  of  the 
state,  was  the  home  of  the  Whites  and  Nicholsons. 
Eastern  Quarterly  ^Meeting  was  large  and  much 
spiritual  life  was  manifest.  My  theme  on  Sabbath 
morning  was  the  new  birth,  before  a  large  and  ap- 
preciative audience.  At  the  noon  hour  a  gentleman 
accosted  me,  saying,  "  You  Friends  would  be  all 
right,  if  you  baptized  with  water."  I  replied  we  were 
much  like  the  Indian,  who,  when  urged  to  be  bap- 
tized with  water  said,  "No  good;  Indian's  sin  in- 
side." I  never  found  a  more  hungry  people  than 
North  Carolina  Friends  were  at  that  time,  nor  a 
more  kind  and  hospitable  brotherhood,  up  to  the 
measure  of  their  ability.  They  seemed  to  feel  that 
warm  biscuits  must  meet  the  appetite  of  us  from 
the  North,  at  every  meal,  and  not  until  we  reached 
Springfield  did  we  fail  to  find  that  as  part  of  the  meal. 
Allen  Jay's  wife,  from  personal  experience,  divined 
that  we  would  need  bread  after  six  weeks  without 
change. 


5P  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

After  making  the  rounds  of  North  CaroHna 
Friends  meetings,  we  left  Cane  Creek  one  bright 
December  morning  in  one  of  those  old  covered 
wagons,  behind  a  matched  span  of  large  mules,  for 
Company  Shops,  eighteen  miles,  and  reached  our 
destination  about  4:00  p.m.,  and  took  the  train  for 
Richmond,  Virginia,  December  26,  where  we  re- 
mained over  Sabbath.  We  attended  Friends  meet- 
ing in  the  morning,  a  funeral  of  a  child  of  Dr. 
Hawkes  in  the  afternoon,  and  had  a  meeting  at  a 
colored  Baptist  church  in  the  evening,  the  audience 
being  estimated  at  800.  We  had  visited  the  meet- 
ings at  Somerville  and  the  meeting  near  John  Pret- 
low's,  and  had  an  appointment  in  Franklin  in  the 
Baptist  church.  On  December  29  we  took  the  train 
for  Washington,  D.  C,  stopping  a  few  days  with  an 
old  acquaintance,  attended  the  reception  of  U.  S. 
Grant  on  New  Year's  day,  shaking  hands  with  the 
chief  magistrate  of  our  great  Republic,  visited  the 
national  capitol,  climbed  to  the  dome,  sat  under  the 
Goddess  of  Liberty,  and  thanked  God  for  His  preser- 
vation and  care.  From  Washington  we  came  direct 
home.  Starting  with  the  proper  credentials  from 
Adrian  Quarterly  Meeting,  the  committee  to  see 
that  I  was  suitably  provided  for,  no  doubt  con- 
cluded that  a  devoted  wife  was  a  sufficient  equip- 
ment, so  gathering  what  funds  I  could  I  hired  $50.00 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  51 

from  the  bank  to  supply  my  lack,  and  when  the  ser- 
vice was  concluded  I  found  the  bill  rounded  up  at 
$250.00,  paid  for  the  privilege  of  proclaiming  the 
Gospel  to  another  people  worthy  of  the  name  of 
Friends. 

''  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 


CHAPTER   X 

ONE  of  the  most  fruitful  efforts  in  revival  work 
in  the  earlier  period  of  my  ministry,  was  at 
Hanover,  Jackson  County,  Michigan,  in  the  autumn 
of  1875.  Two  or  three  families  of  Friends  had  set- 
tled in  that  village  of  600  habitants,  among  them  a 
dear  Christian,  Mary  Bowerman,  a  Friend  minister, 
who  had  opened  her  home  for  prayer  meeting  and 
Sabbath  service,  and  under  the  blessing  of  God  had 
gathered  a  nucleus  of  devoted  disciples  who  had  suc- 
ceeded in  erecting  a  house  of  worship  and  in  organ- 
izing an  indulged  meeting. 

Associated  with  Alfred  H.  Bartlett,  a  very  dear 
and  humble  servant  of  God,  we  entered  into  close 
fellowship  for  the  conquest  of  souls,  finding  condi- 
tions ripe  for  such  a  work.  Soon  the  whole  com- 
munity was  stirred,  and  a  large  audience  attended 
every  evening  service,  and  conviction  of  the  old- 
time  character  came  upon  the  people  and  many 
moved  to  the  altar  of  prayer  to  definitely  find  par- 
don or  purity,  under  a  real  sense  of  deep  need. 

The  Methodist  pastor  and  his  flock  joined  hear- 
ily  in  the  effort  until  the  house  was  crowded  to  its 

52 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  53 

utmost,  and  at  every  service  souls  were  finding  the 
burden  of  sin  gone  and  heart  gladness  had  taken  its 
place.  A  variety  of  demonstrations  were  manifested, 
void  of  fanaticism  or  wild  excitement.  Seekers 
were  earnest  and  sincers.  One  evening  a  lady  who 
had  found  the  Saviour  the  evening  previous,  being 
very  anxious  for  her  husband  who  was  then  at  the 
altar,  asked  the  Lord  very  earnestly  that  he  might 
be  converted,  and  that  his  name  might  be  written 
right  under  hers  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  which 
resulted  in  his  immediate  conversion.  Out  of  a 
series  of  meetings  of  twenty  days,  fifty  experienced 
definite  victory  and  became  active,  established 
workers,  some  responding  to  the  call  to  the  ministry. 
For  many  years  Hanover  Friends  prospered  in  ag- 
gressive work  and  wielded  a  moral  and  spiritual 
force  in  the  community,  but  like  many  others,  have 
had  their  testings.  The  meeting  is  small ;  it  has  a 
good  house  of  worship,  the  former  one  having  been 
burned. 

My  next  efifort  was  at  Ypsilanti,  Washtenaw 
County,  Michigan,  in  1875,  in  company  with  Jesse 
Lloyd,  Benjamin  Cope  and  Amos  Cook  and  wife, 
of  Indiana.  Here  we  found  very  good  interest  at  the 
start.  One  only  had  to  note  how  some  who  at  first 
stopped  at  the  first  seat  were  advancing  toward  the 
front  intent  to  get  the  most  they  could  out  of  every 


54  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

service.  A  very  great  deal  depends  upon  a  recep- 
tive mind  in  the  hearer,  and  a  proper  patience  and 
humility  in  the  preacher  to  reap  in  soul  saving,  for 
often  undue  haste,  is  awful  w^aste. 

Surely  he  that  winneth  souls  must  be  w^ise.  It 
gave  us  much  courage  as  one  after  another  yielded 
themselves  to  Jesus  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and 
life  from  above,  and  received  the  spirit  of  adoption 
and  sincerely  called  God  their  Father.  The  Lord 
gave  us  many  noble  trophies  of  great  promise  and 
once  more  fulfilled  the  words  of  the  Psalmist — "  He 
that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed, 
shall  doubtless  come  again  with  rejoicing  bringing 
his  sheaves  with  him." — Psalm  126:6. 

At  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting,  held  at  Damascus,  in 
1876,  a  request  came  from  Goshen  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing for  help  in  a  case  of  difficulty  in  Goshen  particu- 
lar meeting.  This  was  responded  to  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  to  render  such  aid  as  they 
deemed  necessary.  That  committee  was  composed 
of  the  following  persons,  viz. :  John  Butler,  George 
B,  Malmsberry,  Sarah  Jenkins,  Elwood  Ratliff,  Pris- 
cilla  Rogers,  Rebecca  Warrington  and  Jacob  Baker, 
who  arranged  to  meet  at  Goshen  in  October,  one 
week  preceding  Goshen  Quarterly  Meeting.  Feel- 
ing the  great  need  of  wisdom,  I  spent  much  time  in 
prayer,  hoping  to  be  used  of  God  to  make  reconcilia- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  55 

tion.  I  was  the  first  of  the  committee  to  arrive  on 
the  ground  and  attended  the  prayer  meeting  on 
Tuesday  evening.  I  found  a  large  company  of 
earnest  worshipers  accompanied  with  spiritual  life. 
Next  day  most  of  the  committee  arrived.  The  dif- 
ficulty arose  following  a  revival  in  which  many  had 
found  the  Saviour,  and  in  their  fresh  experience  were 
happy  in  Him,-  but  as  it  sometimes  occurs,  some 
had  taken  oflfense  at  the  evangelists  and  manifested 
an  opposing  spirit.  Unwisely,  too,  much  notice  had 
been  taken  of  it  publicly,  which  increased  the  diffi- 
culty till  the  situation  had  become  critical.  N.  C. 
McLean  being  in  Indiana  in  revival  work,  we  at 
once  wired  to  him  to  come  immediately  that  the 
parties  might  meet  together.  It  was  now  Wednesday 
and  we  began  meetings  day  and  night,  pouring  out 
the  messages  of  the  Gospel.  This  was  continued* 
through  the  week  and  over  Sabbath,  with  a  prayer 
service  Monday  forenoon.  Just  at  noon  N.  C. 
McLean  came,  and  that  afternoon  was  spent  hear- 
ing the  grievances  of  all  who  wished  to  speak.  A 
statement  of  charges  had  been  prepared  and  signed 
by  twenty  members,  which  covered  twelve  pages 
of  foolscap,  and  was  read  by  their  leader  without  in- 
terruption. That  afternoon  and  evening  was  fully 
occupied.  Wednesday  being  their  monthly  meeting 
we  made  public  request  that  the  membership  attend. 


56  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Tuesday  we  had  Gospel  meetings  morning  and  even- 
ing. At  Monthly  Meeting  after  a  season  of  prayer, 
John  Butler,  a  much-beloved  elder,  considered  some- 
what conservative,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  arose 
and  opened  his  Bible  and  read  an  appropriate  lesson, 
following  with  a  loving  exhortation,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  every  member  of  the  committee.  During 
this  period  I  became  fully  assured  there  was  a  deep 
spirit  of  contrition  prevailing  over  the  congregation, 
and  with  an  overwhelming  conviction  that  there  was 
a  white  heat  in  some  hearts,  I  suddenly  arose  with 
open  Bible  at  Isaiah,  forty-first  chapter  and  seventh 
verse,  and  repeatedly  read,  "  It  is  ready  for  the  sol- 
dering," and  with  much  emphasis  said,  "  I  am  fully 
persuaded  there  are  those  here  that  feel  a  spirit  of 
forgiveness,  and  whoever  they  may  be,  please  come 
forward  to  an  altar  of  prayer."  In  a  moment,  he 
who  had  read  the  long  bill  of  indictment  arose  and 
said,  "  Before  any  move  is  made  further,  I  wish  to 
say  that  while  I  intellectually  believe  many  of  the 
charges  are  true,  yet  under  the  teaching  that  has 
been  given  in  the  last  few  days,  I  see  that  I  have 
been  harboring  a  bad  spirit  toward  these  two  breth- 
ren, and  I  am  ready  to  forgive  them  and  meet  them 
at  the  altar."  At  once  the  leaders  of  both  parties 
were  side  by  side,  confessing  and  forgiving,  and  the 
whole  congregation  rushed  like  sheep  to  their  salt. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  57 

and  the  soldering  was  complete.  There  was  no  urg- 
ing, all  was  voluntary  and  proved  to  be  lasting. 

On  Saturday  following,  the  committee  attended 
the  Quarterly  Meeting  held  at  Carmel,  and  at  the 
proper  time  gave  information  of  the  reconciliation, 
and  I  read  from  II  Chronicles  twenty-ninth  chapter, 
thirty-sixth  verse,  "  God  prepared  the  people  for  the, 
thing  was  done  suddenly."  Such  an  incident  attend- 
ant with  surprising  results  in  one  who  had  been  in- 
strumental, causes  deep  thankfulness  to  God  and 
humility  of  spirit  and  gives  new  courage  to  fight  on 
to  other  victories  with  a  fresh  spirit  of  discernment 
and  prompt,  child-like  obedience,  giving  the  honor 
to  God. 

Goshen  meeting  put  on  new  strength  and  courage, 
and  under  the  faithful  service  of  John  D.  Elliott 
went  on  and  became  a  power  in  the  community,  and 
is  one  of  the  sweet  spots  in  memory,  and  when 
called  a  few  years  ago  to  attend  their  centennial, 
when  I  spoke  from  the  text,  "  Shall  a  child  be  born 
unto  him  that  is  one  hundred  years  old?"  Genesis, 
seventeenth  chapter,  seventeenth  verse,  I  rejoiced  to 
have  lived  to  realize  what  God  had  wrought. 

Surely  Jesus  could  proclaim  from  Olivet,  "  Blessed 
are  the  peacemakers  for  they  shall  be  called  the 
children  of  God."  Let  me  here  venture  the  caution 
to  all  pastors  and  evangelists,  in  cases  of  seeming 


58  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

barriers,  and  even  in  real  opposition,  to  seek  for  the 
things  that  make  for  peace,  for  gentleness  wins  like 
the  harmlessness  of  the  dove.  Let  every  pastor  keep 
near  his  flock,  avoiding  harsh  utterances  to  any  of 
his  sheep.  Strive  to  feed  them  all  alike,  avoiding 
sensitiveness,  or  censoriousness  under  criticism,  but 
in  much  patience  possess  ye  your  souls.  Let  the 
Great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  who,  through  the 
blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  make  you  per- 
fect in  every  good  work,  working  in  you  that  which 
is  well  pleasing  in  His  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ 
to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever.    Amen. 


CHAPTER   XI 


IN  NOVEMBER,  1875,  my  wife  and  I  received 
credentials  for  Gospel  work  in  Iowa  and  Kansas. 
Leaving  our  home  we  stopped  a  few  days  at  Van- 
dalia,  Michigan,  being  entertained  at  James  E.  Bon- 
ine's  and  had  a  few  meetings  there,  then  on 
Sixthday  went  on  to  Chicago,  where  we  called  at 
the  Christian  Worker  office  and  at  Aquilla  Picker- 
ing's. We  attending  Friends  meeting  on  Firstday 
morning  and  evening,  and  had  two  meetings  at 
Western  Springs,  being  entertained  at  the  home  of 
Asa  and  Sarah  Kelsey,  who  were  formerly  members 
of  Adrian  Quarterly  Meeting.  It  was  our  plan  to 
go  direct  to  Iowa,  but  while  returning  to  the  city, 
we  noticed  posted  in  the  street  cars  this  state- 
ment, "Fare  to  Kansas  City  by  four  different  routes, 
one  dollar."  This  was  an  extreme  cut  rate,  the  reg- 
ular fare  being  $14.50.  Investigating,  we  found  via 
the  Wabash  we  could  pay  six  dollars  each  and  get 
a  rebate  of  five  dollars  on  arrival  at  Kansas  City. 
We  took  this  as  an  evidence  that  the  thing  to  do  was 
to  go  to  Kansas  first.    Accordingly,  on  Thirdday  we 

59 


6o  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

took  train  for  Kansas  City,  and  on  the  next  day 
found  the  home  of  Samuel  Newby.  On  Fourthday 
we  went  to  Lawrence  and  reported  to  Washington 
Hadley,  then  Yearly  Meeting  superintendent  of 
evangelistic  work  of  Kansas  Yearly  Meeting.  He 
directed  us  to  Tonganoxie,  where  Myron  T.  Hart- 
ley, a  minister  from  our  own  Quarterly  Meeting,  had 
just  commenced  a  series  of  meetings.  We  were  en- 
tertained at  John  Kirby's,  a  merchant  of  that  village. 
Friends  had  an  academy  there  with  quite  a  large  at- 
tendance. Friends  meetings  house  was  quite  out  of 
town,  and  in  a  dilapidated  condition  and  the  weather 
very  cold,  so  it  seemed  advisable  to  secure  a  more 
central  and  comfortable  place  for  the  meeting 
After  a  few  days  the  Friends  secured  the  use  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  which  resulted  in  a  larger 
attendance,  and  gave  the  students  of  the  Academy 
the  privilege  of  the  meetings.  Soon  people  were 
coming  to  the  altar  and  praying  for  the  forgiveness 
of  sin  and  finding  the  Saviour,  and  believers  were 
strengthened. 

One  evening  I  had  for  my  theme,  "The  Judg- 
ment of  the  Ungodly,"  and  was  with  all  the  intens- 
ity of  my  being  giving  forth  my  message,  standing 
behind  a  small  desk;  instinctively,  in  my  earnest- 
ness, I  sprang  with  a  leap  clear  around  the  desk, 
without  hand  touch  on  anything,  and  landed  at  the 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  6i 

starting  place,  a  wonder  to  myself  and  the  audience. 
Vhis  seemed  to  have  a  beneficial  effect  upon  the 
meeting,  and  definite  results  followed.  Myron  T. 
Hartley  was  converted  at  Alum  Creek,  Ohio,  in  a 
revival  of  which  I  had  charge,  and  was  now  an  ef- 
ficient revival-ist,  and  we  were  true  yoke  fellows,  in- 
deed. The  meetings  continued  two  weeks,  with 
marked  success,  and  soon  a  new  house  of  worship 
was  erected  as  the  result  of  greater  spirituality. 

Our  next  was  at  Lawrence,  in  the  Yearly  Meeting 
house.  My  wife  and  I  were  entertained  by  Sarah  B. 
Woodw^ard,  a  devoted  elder  of  that  meeting.  ^leet- 
ings  continued  three  weeks,  with  large  audiences,  a 
good  number  of  conversions  and  several  sanctified. 
Our  custom  had  been  for  me  to  take  the  meeting  on 
Sabbath  morning,  and  Myron  in  the  evening.  Dur- 
ing the  second  week,  on  Sixthday,  Myron  suggested 
I  take  the  evening  and  he  the  morning  on  the  com- 
ing Sabbath,  remarking  that  if  that  met  my  ap- 
proval, he  w^anted  to  propose  my  subject  for  the 
message,  and  that  he  had  already  been  impressed 
as  to  what  his  theme  would  be.  If  I  approved,  it 
was  to  be  published  in  the  daily  papers  on  Seventh- 
day.  He  suggested  that  I  preach  on  the  Resurrec- 
tion and  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  that  he  preach  on  The  Soul  of  Man,  to  which  I 
assented. 


62  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Interest  was  now  very  good,  and  Myron  was 
greatly  blessed  in  giving  his  message.  When  even- 
ing came,  thelarge  audience  room  was  filled.  I  arose 
with  the  consciousness  that  I  needed  help  from 
above,  and  with  great  confidence  entered  upon  the 
task,  and  for  two  hours  and  five  minutes  I  poured 
out  the  great  truths  of  God's  revelation,  of  His  plan 
and  purpose,  as  given  in  the  Scripture,  to  an  atten- 
tive congregation,  who  manifested  no  unrest  to  the 
close.  I  had  lost  the  swiftness  of  the  passing  mo- 
ments, and  was  greatly  surprised  when  informed  of 
the  length  of  time  occupied.  Washington  Hadley 
requested  that  I  should  put  the  sermon  in  writing 
for  publication.  I  replied  I  did  not  think  I  could, 
and  if  I  could  it  would  be  too  cold  in  type  to  set  on 
fire  the  affections  like  the  human  voice. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  the  next  day.  We 
were  invited,  together  with  our  hostess,  to  dine  with 
her  sister-in-law.  After  partaking  of  a  sumptuous 
meal  until  the  desert  was  due,  I  discerned  some- 
thing unusual  was  engaging  the  attention  of  the 
lady  of  the  house,  as  she  asked,  '*  Shall  I  set  it  on?" 
"  Certainly,"  was  the  reply.  Soon  a  generous  supply 
of  well  prepared  cake  was  set  before  us,  when  our 
hostess  said,  "  Suffer  a  word  of  explanation.  This 
cake  is  made  after  a  new  recipe.  I  forgot  to  put  in 
the  common  seasoning,  and  instead  thereof  put  in 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  63 

the  Resurrection  and  Second  Coming,  so  intense 
was  my  thought  fixed  on  the  sermon  of  last  even- 
ing." 

Our  next  meeting  was  at  Emporia,  commencing 
just  before  the  hoHdays,  when  many  teachers  were 
having  their  vacation.  The  State  Normal  School 
is  located  there,  and  during  vacation  the  faculty  and 
many  students  attended,  adding  interest  to  the  work. 
Some  teachers  and  students  were  happily  converted, 
and  the  church  greatly  strengthened. 

Here  Brother  Hartley  left  us  for  his  home  in  Mich- 
igan, and  we  turned  our  steps  toward  Iowa,  stopping 
a  little  while  at  Kansas  City.  Our  first  meeting  in  Iowa 
was  at  Springdale  Quarterly  Meeting.  This  was  the 
home  of  that  man  of  God,  John  Y.  Hoover.  The 
meeting  was  large  and  was  crowned  with  the  Lord's 
presence  and  blessing.  On  Firstday  evening  we  at- 
tended meeting  at  Springdale,  four  miles  west,  and 
Lawrie  Tatum  took  us  to  his  home,  expecting  to 
conduct  us  to  the  train  at  West  Branch  at  7  o'clock 
next  morning,  arrangement  having  been  made  for 
meetings  at  Springville,  thirty  miles  distant.  Dur- 
ing the  night  a  genuine  western  blizzard  struck  us, 
so  that  at  5  a.  m.  Lawrie  Tatum  rapped  at  our  door, 
saying,  "You  can  do  no  better  today  than  to  tarry 
with  us  and  read  Whittier's  '  Snow  Bound,'  the  snow 
is  up  to  the  eaves.     We  were  shut  in  till  Fifthday, 


64  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

when  we  went  to  West  Branch  Monthly  Meeting. 

Joseph  Steere,  superintendent  of  the  Quarterly 
Meeting,  now  proposed  that  we  should  engage  in  a 
revival  effort  at  West  Branch,  which  was  united 
with,  and  seeing  the  good  hand  of  God  upon  us,  we 
continued  there  three  weeks  with  good  interest,  and 
the  Lord  gave  the  victory.  One  remarkable  inci- 
dent worthy  of  mention,  was  that  of  a  man  about 
sixty  years  of  age  who  attended  our  meetings. 
After  a  few  days'  attentive  listening  to  the  messages 
of  full  and  present  salvation,  he  arose  one  day  and 
requested  the  privilege  of  reading  a  tract  which  had 
been  handed  him  at  his  boarding  place  in  Texas, 
where  he  had  been  for  his  health.  This  was  granted, 
and  it  proved  to  be  an  advocate  of  growing  into  the 
experience  of  entire  sanctification  and  choking  car- 
nality. We  heard  him  through,  but  made  no  effort 
to  combat  it,  but  continued  in  the  good,  old-fash- 
ioned way.  A  few  days  after  he  arose,  saying,  '"  1 
have  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the 
tract  was  wrong.  I  burned  it  in  the  fire  this  morn- 
ing." A  radical  change  was  wrought  in  him,  and 
though  only  spared  two  years,  he  maintained  his 
steadfastness  and  died  a  victorious  saint. 

Leaving  West  Branch,  we  went  to  Walnut  Cen- 
ter, about  sixteen  miles  from  Des  Moines,  having 
our  home  with  Jesse  Hoag,  my  cousin,  and  held  a 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  65 

week's  meeting.  This  was  a  weak  meeting,  but  a 
worthy  few  were  encouraged.  Returning  to  Des 
Moines,  we  spent  a  Sabbath  there,  Truman  C.  Ken- 
worthy  being  their  pastor.  Having  been  engaged 
nearly  five  months  in  continual  service,  we  came  di- 
rect home  in  time  to  find  my  wife's  youngest  brother 
at  the  point  of  death.  His  life  soon  went  out,  and 
he  was  laid  away.  In  taking  a  retrospect  of  this 
work  and  its  results  we  felt  surely  the  Lord  had 
cared  for  us  and  made  us  a  blessing  to  whom  be  all 
the  glory. 


CHAPTER   XII 

IN  THE  summer  of  1876  I  attended  Canada  Yearly 
Meeting,  held  at  Pickering,  Ontario.  Here  I  met 
William  P.  Haworth  for  the  first  time.  This  was 
the  year  William  Spencer  was  appointed  Clerk,  in- 
stead of  his  brother,  Adam.  The  aggressive  portion 
of  the  membership  felt  the  necessity  of  a  change,  as 
the  former  Clerk  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  for- 
ward movement  of  the  meeting.  Upon  the  adoption 
of  the  proposed  change,  Adam  Spencer,  with  about  a 
dozen  others,  withdrew  and  began  to  arrange  for  a 
separate  meeting,  and  asked  for  the  use  of  a  church 
of  another  denomination,  but  when  the  information 
of  their  being  separatists  was  known  by  the  officials, 
it  was  refused.  On  Firstday  morning,  the  house 
being  filled,  William  P.  Haworth  took  for  his  text, 
"Adam,  where  art  thou?'  dwelling  upon  the  fall  of 
the  first  Adam  and  its  awful  consequences  at  con- 
siderable length,  without  any  knowledge  of  the  fact 
that  Adam  Spencer  was  in  the  gallery  above  com- 
pletely out  of  sight,  and  it  was  somewhat  amusing 
to  those  who  knew  the  facts.  The  sessions  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  were  seasons  of  refreshing.    At  the 

66 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  67 

close  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  I  went  to  Yonge  Street, 
New  Market,  Church,  ^lission,  Chapel,  Meaford,  St. 
Vincent,  Sydenham,  Gray  and  Heathcote. 

Some  of  these  meetings  were  small,  yet  there  was 
a  large  degree  of  spiritual  life.  In  one  of  these  a 
part  of  the  message  was  to  three  persons  (though 
unknown  to  me),  who  were  conscious  of  a  call  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  who  were  hesitating  to  respond 
thereto.  Later  I  learned  they  yielded  and  were  use- 
ful in  the  Master's  hands  in  that  line,  which  He  had 
chosen  for  them.  Heathcote  meeting  was  situated 
on  a  high  range  of  hills  off  Owens  Sound,  and  was 
a  place  of  delightful  scenery.  One  could  stand  at  the 
east  door  of  Benjamin  Moore's  residence  and,  in  the 
morning  sunlight,  view  the  valley  of  many  miles  in 
length  and  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  width,  in  which 
were  nestled  a  number  of  villages  and  winding  high- 
ways or  "  Queen's  Roads,"  a  most  enchanting  scene 
which  has  never  left  me.  Benjamin  Moore  was  the 
father  of  Heathcote  meeting,  the  feeder  of  the  flock. 
Cyrus  Ying  conducted  us  from  place  to  place. 

At  one  of  these  meetings  I  selected  this  proverb 
of  Solomon  for  my  text :  "A  word  fitly  spoken,  how 
good  it  is !  It  is  like  apples  of  gold,  in  pictures  of  sil- 
ver," remarking  that,  in  a  sense,  we  could  be  one 
another's  saviours.  Since  beginning  these  "  Inci- 
dents "  a  communication  has  come  to  me  that  this 


68  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

changed  some  lives  and  led  to  their  establishment 
in  the  things  of  the  kingdom,  giving  guidance  to 
thought  and  speech. 

Surely  no  one  can  tame  the  tattling  tongue,  but 
He  who  made  it,  and  He  only  can  give  it  grace  and 
glory.  Who  can  count  the  blessings  of  sound  speech, 
seasoned  with  the  grace  of  humility?  Without  it 
we  would  be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  prayer. 

The  year  1876  closed  my  father's  life,  after  weeks 
of  decline.  In  the  earlier  part  of  my  ministry  he  had 
intense  interest  in  my  messages,  but  was  never  quite 
in  sympathy  with  the  aggressive  revival  wave  that 
was  sweeping  over  the  Friends  Church,  and  very 
seldom  gave  public  testimony  to  his  personal  experi- 
ence of  salvation.  Under  the  impression  that  silence 
was  golden,  and  speech  was  tame,  many  of  our  pred- 
ecessors almost  worshiped  those  silent  gatherings 
rather  than  He  who  gave  them  being. 

In  August  of  this  year,  my  daughter,  Florence  and 
I  attended  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting,  at  Damascus, 
which  was  one  of  the  memorable  convocations  of 
that  body,  attended  with  special  evidence  of  the 
unity  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace.  Stopping 
one  day  after  the  close  of  the  meeting,  we  planned 
to  reach  home  on  Seventhday,  but  trains  were 
greatly  off  schedule  time  because  of  hundreds  re- 
turning from  the  Centennial  at  Philadelphia.     We 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  69 

were  obliged  to  stay  in  Cleveland  over  the  Sabbath, 
being  entertained  at  Matthew  Terrel's,  at  whose 
residence  Friends  meeting  was  then  held.  We  had 
a  great  meeting  on  the  Sabbath  and  reached  home 
next  day. 

The  first  part  of  1877  was  spent  on  the  farm,  but 
in  May  I  attended  Damascus  Quarterly  Meeting, 
Ohio,  and  most  of  the  meetings  composing  it.  In 
my  message  on  Seventhday  at  Quarterly  Meeting,  I 
called  the  Scriptures  the  Word  of  God.  In  the  bus- 
iness meeting  when  my  credentials  were  read,  and 
the  matter  of  my  having  a  returning  minute  was  be- 
ing considered,  one  Friend  remarked  that  it  was  not 
the  custom  of  Friends  to  speak  of  the  Bible  as  the 
Word  of  God,  but  since  he  understood  that  I  grew 
up  in  the  woods  of  Michigan,  he  would  waive  his 
objection,  and  was  willing  it  be  granted.  It  was  my 
fiftieth  birthday.  During  the  discussion,  a  young 
man  in  the  body  of  the  house  arose  and  said,  "  In 
the  New  Testament  there  were  seven  times  in  which 
the  Word  is  commenced  with  a  capital  W,  always 
with  reference  to  the  person  of  Christ,  but  every- 
where else  in  Old  and  New  Testament  it  had  ref- 
erence to  the  Scriptures."  A  returning  minute  was 
granted. 

My  credentials  covered  the  attendance  of  Canada 
Yearly  Meeting,  and  I  felt  it  right  to  ask  John  But- 


70  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

ler  to  be  my  companion  in  that  service,  which  he 
assented  to.  He  was  a  worthy  Elder  of  Damascus 
Monthly  Meeting,  a  valued  friend  of  mine.  Cross- 
ing Lake  Erie  from  Cleveland  to  Port  Clinton,  we 
arrived  in  Pickering  in  time  for  the  opening  session 
of  Yearly  Meeting. 

The  meeting  was  large,  with  a  good  attendance  of 
consecrated  young  men  and  women,  fresh  in  their 
experience  and  zealous  workers.  Quite  a  number 
of  visiting  ministers  from  the  States  were  in  attend- 
ance. On  the  Sabbath  morning  the  house  was  filled. 
In  the  gallery  was  Thomas  Ladd,  of  New  York ; 
Judith  Johnson,  D.  B.  Updegraff,  John  Butler, 
Jacob  Baker,  each  from  Ohio;  also  Sarah  Satter- 
thwaite  from  England. 

Very  early  in  the  meeting  Jonathan  Brewer,  hus- 
band of  Eliza  Brewer,  of  Canada,  arose  and  said  he 
felt  he  ought  to  give  his  experience  in  the  school  of 
Christ.  The  first  point  was  his  conviction  that  he 
ought  to  take  up  the  use  of  the  plain  language,  and 
in  yielding  he  felt  great  reward ;  afterward  he  was 
convinced  that  he  ought  to  wear  a  coat  with  stand- 
ing collar,  after  the  manner  of  Friends,  which  he 
did  after  a  hard  struggle,  with  like  results.  He  gave 
no  testimony  to  regeneration  or  forgiveness,  neither 
did  he  allude  to  salvation  by  virtue  of  the  atone- 
ment, or  to  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  71 

After  using  an  hour  of  valuable  time,  he  wound 
up  in  telling  the  people  how  they  made  steel  bows. 
It  took  very  much  hammering  and  tempering,  and 
was  of  no  use  when  finished  unless  it  was  strung 
up;  it  was  used  when  strung,  but  unstrung  when 
not  in  use.  So  when  God  has  used  us,  when  our 
task  is  done.  He  loosens  the  string. 

None  of  the  visiting  ministers  had  any  time  to 
deliver  Gospel  messages.  James  Barker,  of  Nor- 
wich, gave  a  short  talk  and  the  meeting  closed. 
Passing  down  the  aisle,  my  attention  was  sought  by 
a  touch  on  my  shoulder,  and  turning  about,  an 
elderly  lady,  leaning  on  a  crutch,  said,  '*  We  had 
with  us  today  a  Baker,  a  Butler  and  a  Brewer.  I 
thought  we  could  have  done  without  the  Brewer." 
In  the  evening,  in  company  with  Thomas  Ladd,  I 
attended  a  meeting  at  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Whitby,  and  we  had  a  very  appreciative  audience. 
Yearly  Meeting  closed  on  Secondday  and  I  returned 
home  fully  conscious  of  the  Lord's  tender  care.  One 
of  the  peculiar  lines  of  the  Lord's  blessing  in  the 
Friends  Church  is  the  free  and  frequent  exchange 
of  the  ministry. 

How  memory  brings  to  us  the  peculiar  help  a  new 
messenger  gave  in  his  service,  a  real  uplift  of  soul. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

IN  MARCH,  1878,  Alfred  Bartlett  and  myself  were 
invited  to  hold  a  series  of  meetings  at  Elba,  N.  Y. 
Leaving  Raisin  Center  we  went  via  Cleveland  and 
Buffalo,  and  were  met  at  Batavia.  The  old  stone 
church  where  so  many  worthies  had  worshiped  on 
the  sunny  side  of  the  hill,  cozy  and  cheerful,  needed 
an  increase  of  interest  and  attendance.  Gradually 
the  numbers  multiplied,  and  the  Gospel  messages 
gained  favor  and  attention,  and  after  a  week  of  defin- 
ite teaching  on  the  awful  consequences  of  a  life  of 
sin,  and  living  without  God  and  Christ,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  gain  of  Godliness  for  this  life  and  that 
to  come,  great  conviction  took  hold  of  many  hearts 
and  a  yielding  to  sound  judgment  began.  After  a 
week,  Thomas  Kimber  and  wife,  and  Marry  K.  Mur- 
ray joined  us  for  a  few  days,  and  were  very  helpful. 
Among  those  converted  was  a  man  about  fifty  years 
of  age,  a  member  of  the  Hicksite  Society,  in  that 
neighborhood.  Under  the  graphic  description  of 
Christ's  death  on  the  cross,  his  heart  was  broken, 
and  he  yielded  his  broken,  sinful  self  to  a  personal 
Saviour,  and  his  burden  rolled  away. 

72 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  73 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  one  evening.  Three 
wild  young  Americans  had  been  attending  the  ser- 
vices, night  after  night,  always  sitting  together,  the 
wildest  in  the  middle,  continually  pestering  his  as- 
sociates. This  having  become  noticeable,  and  alto- 
gether unpleasant,  one  evening  after  a  searching 
message,  in  the  after  service,  Thomas  Kimber  knelt 
at  their  feet,  and  placing  his  hand  on  the  middle  one, 
he  began  a  prayer  after  this  manner:  **  Oh,  Lord, 
give  these  boys  some  sense;  give  them  sense  enough 
to  come  in  when  it  rains;  to  come  in  when  it  rains; 
they  are  wild.  Oh,  Lord,  tame  them.  Thine  own 
self,"  prolonging  his  earnest  petition  with  much  lib- 
erty. Though  one  could  not  tell  the  result  of  this 
unique  petition,  which  for  the  time  seemed  only  to 
amuse,  yet  the  result  justified  the  means.  On  re- 
turning home  at  the  midnight  hour,  the  hardest  of 
the  three  broke  all  to  pieces,  got  out  of  bed,  and 
plead  for  mercy  and  forgiveness,  and  the  Lord  tamed 
him.  Next  day,  with  a  glowing  countenance,  he 
came  into  the  meeting  and  gave  a  clear  testimony 
that  he  had  found  the  Saviour.  "The  Lord  has 
tamed  me."    The  others  followed. 

jMany  were  helped  in  their  experience.  Two 
deaths  occurred  while  we  were  there ;  one  an  only 
child  of  two  years,  a  beautiful  picture  of  innocency, 
whose  parents  were  keenly  cut  with  the  sword  of 


74  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

sorrow,  sent  for  me  to  take  charge  of  the  fun- 
eral service.  Having  lost  our  first-born  boy  long 
before,  I  was  able  to  enter  into  sympathy  with  them 
to  a  marked  degree  and  give  comfort  to  the  be- 
reaved. The  other  death  was  that  of  a  man  sixty 
years  of  age,  a  Hicksite,  and  a  relative  desired  to 
have  Sunderland  Gardner,  of  Farmington,  have  the 
services,  and  sent  a  messenger  for  him  (fifty  miles), 
who  returned  with  the  information  that  he  was  out 
of  reach,  in  Virginia.  At  5  a.  m.  a  knock  at  the  door 
revealed  a  request  for  me  to  officiate.  Having  an- 
nounced a  meeting  at  the  same  hour,  I  informed 
them  of  the  situation.  They  said,  **  We  will  wait 
till  your  meeting  closes,"  which  was  done.  I  dwelt 
on  the  surety  of  Jesus  concerning  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead.  It  seemed  a  strange  Providence,  but 
the  Lord  helped. 

After  closing  at  Elba,  a  request  to  hold  meetings 
in  a  school  house,  a  few  miles  west,  came,  and  a 
meeting  was  announced  for  Sabbath  evening.  We 
found  a  crowded  house  eager  for  the  truth,  and  had 
a  good  meeting.  It  was  planned  to  continue  through 
the  week,  but  a  telegram  from  home  of  the  death  of 
a  very  dear  friend  called  for  my  return,  and,  reluct- 
antly, the  plan  was  dropped.  It  has  seemed  since 
possibly  I  made  a  mistake. 

The  call  to  Elba  was  the  outcome  of  a  trip  from 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  75 

Toronto,  Canada,  to  attend  Farmington  Quarterly 
Meeting,  held  at  Rochester,  New  York.  My  wife 
and  I,  with  Alfred  Bartlett  and  R.  W.  Douglass, 
secured  a  passage  by  boat  across  Lake  Ontario  to 
Rochester,  to  leave  at  7  p.  m.,  to  arrive  at  5  a.  m. 
next  day.  After  retiring,  without  having  left  the 
wharf,  and  after  a  night's  rest,  to  our  surprise  at  7 
a.  m.  we  were  yet  at  the  place  of  entering  our  craft. 
Soon  we  found  that  in  loading  a  cargo  of  wheat  the 
elevator  had  gone  wrong,  and  we  were  12,000  bush- 
els in  excess  of  the  intended  amount,  and  all  night 
had  been  occupied  in  reducing  the  load  to  its  proper 
quantity.  All  day  we  were  enjoying  the  monotony 
of  the  voyage,  but  reached  the  Quarterly  Meeting. 

In  1878,  New  York  Yearly  Meeting  was  to  be  held 
at  Glen  Falls  for  the  first  time.  I  secured  the  proper 
credentials  to  attend  it,  reaching  there  in  time  to  at- 
tend the  meeting  of  Ministry  and  Oversight.  There 
were  in  attendance  a  number  of  visiting  ministers, 
viz. :  John  Henry  Douglass,  D.  B.  Updegraflf,  Judith 
Johnson,  Amos  Kenworthy,  Thomas  Kimber,  James 
E.  Rhodes,  Elizabeth  Comstock  and  myself.  The 
services  were  varied  and  revealed  a  diversity  of  gifts. 
I  used  the  vision  of  Ezekiel,  first  chapter,  last  clause 
of  the  sixteenth  verse,  "And  the  appearance  of  the 
living  creatures  was  like  a  wheel  in  the  middle  of  a 
wheel,"  enlarging  at  some  length  upon  the  thought 


76  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

that  Christ  was  the  hub  of  the  church,  composed  of 
Hving  members  that  radiated  from  the  hub  in  a 
proper  wheel;  two  arms  from  the  hub  to  each  sec- 
tion of  the  felloes  proceeded  and  entered  each  sec- 
tion of  equal  length  and  equal  strength,  and  com- 
pared this  to  Christ,  the  center,  the  two  arms  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  Holy  Bible,  and  these  held  the  fel- 
loes in  proper  place.  The  outer  wheel  in  sections, 
the  membership  of  the  church,  and  the  Spirit  was 
in  the  living  creatures.  Whither  the  Spirit  went, 
they  went,  and  they  had  straight  feet.  This  was  so 
singularly  parallel  to  the  real  and  true  relationship 
of  the  body  of  holiness,  to  our  head,  that  it  was  re- 
ceived heartily,  and  was  afterward  alluded  to  by 
the  earnest  workers. 

Friends  had  secured  a  large  tent  and  set  it  up  near 
the  church  and  Gospel  meetings  were  held  in  it. 
June  1  was  on  Sabbath,  and  the  morning  devotional 
meeting  w^as  large.  A  stirring  message  was  given 
when  the  meeting  was  opened  for  personal  testi- 
mony, and  many  spoke.  A  clock  before  me  indi- 
cated the  time  as  9:30  a.m.  At  once  it  occurred  to 
me  this  is  my  spiritual  birthday,  and  I  said,  fifteen 
years  ago  at  this  hour  at  the  base  of  a  mammoth 
oak,  I  sought  and  found  Jesus  in  the  forgiveness  of 
sin  and  the  birth  from  above.  The  same  afternoon  I 
strolled  down  town  and  found  Amos  Kenworthy  on 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  77 

a  dry  goods  box  on  the  street  speaking  to  the  crowd 
that  gathered.  He  immediately  remarked,  "  I  am 
not  going  to  speak  long.  I  see  another  preacher 
here  who  will  follow  me."  When  he  closed,  he 
called  on  me  to  come,  and  as  I  took  the  stand,  he 
said,  "  This  is  Jacob  Baker,  of  Michigan."  I  at  once 
asked,  "How  many  of  you  believe  the  brother  has 
told  you  my  right  name?  Please  signify  it  by  rais- 
ing your  hand."  A  score  of  hands  went  up.  Now, 
I  said,  I  know  a  person  I  am  well  acquainted  with 
that  I  am  going  to  tell  you  about.  His  name  is 
Jesus.  Will  you  believe  my  story  of  Him?  After 
holding  their  attention  closely  for  twenty  minutes,  I 
closed  by  saying,  "  There  will  be  a  meeting  in  the 
tent  this  evening;  come  and  hear  more."  Evening 
found  a  score  of  them  present,  and  when  a  call  was 
made,  fifteen  came  forward  and  prayed  through.  It 
was  a  time  of  great  blessing  to  many,  and  my  first 
visit  was  a  token  of  the  Lord's  favor,  and  is  yet  a 
cause  of  gratitude  to  my  Father  in  heaven  for  that 
service.  Here  I  first  met  James  E.  Rhodes,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, a  noble  specimen  of  what  God  can  do  when 
one  puts  himself  in  His  hands.  A  sweet  spot  in 
memory. 

At  the  close  of  the  meeting  I  went  to  Brooklyn 
and  attended  New  York  Monthly  Meeting,  being 
entertained  by  William  Ladd.    I  attended  Brooklyn 


yS  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  JVork 

meeting"  on  the  Sabbath,  and  a  meeting  at  Flush- 
ing. Long  Island,  in  the  evening.  I  lodged  at 
Thomas  Leggett's  and  visited  an  English  lady 
Friend,  who  had  a  lounge  on  which  George  Fox  re- 
clined in  the  early  days  of  our  church.  She  had  a 
fac-simile  letter  of  George  Fox's  handwriting.  Across 
the  street  was  a  lawn  on  which  yet  stood  an  aged 
oak  under  which  he  preached  in  the  Seventeenth 
Centun,'.  To  stand  where  he  stood,  recline  where 
he  reclined,  and  read  an  autograph  letter  in  his  own 
hand  was  an  unexpected  surprise.  To  visit  Green- 
wood CemeterA',  Central  Park,  the  great  ocean 
steamers  and  other  great  achievements  was  indeed 
a  great  privilege.  One  morning  at  day  dawn  the 
bells  of  the  city  began  their  united  death  toll,  that 
from  a  thousand  voices  reminded  the  million  ears 
that  the  life  of  one  of  the  great  men  of  our  great 
city  was  ended,  that  of  William  Cullen  Bryant;  he 
whose  muse  so  often  rang  the  spirit  of  devout  praise, 
who,  in  his  most  worshipful  mood,  indicted  those 
ever-gracious  lays  of  Eden  Bowers,  and  said,  *'  The 
groves  were  God's  first  temples."  His  work  was 
done. 

On  to  Newport,  the  good  hand  of  our  God  was 
upon  us  till  we  landed  at  the  wharf  and  the  old 
Friends  house  of  worship.  Here  was  a  new  field  of 
operation  and  observation.    Among  the  cultured  and 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  79 

refined  it  seemed  stifit  and  strange.  In  the  meeting 
of  Ministry  and  Oversight  I  followed  Amos  Ken- 
worthy,  and  was  reaching  the  subject  of  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body,  laying  stress  on  Jesus'  own 
teaching,  when  the  Clerk  showed  uneasiness  and 
soon  requested  me  to  close,  remarking  that  he  had 
been  reminded  of  a  saying  of  Sarah  Grubb,  not  to 
spend  one's  substance  in  riotous  living.  I  sat  down 
at  once.  He  said  the  time  demanded  attention  to 
business.  The  business  was  soon  over,  when  Eliza- 
beth Mallerson  knelt  and  asked  the  Lord  to  stand  by 
His  little  ones,  followed  by  Amos  Kenworthy. 
Then  a  prominent  lady  Eider  arose  and  said.  '"  I 
think  it  is  due  our  friend  that  we  hear  him  through." 
To  which  the  meeting  assented,  so  I  finished  in  a 
few  words  of  victorious  faith.  During  the  Yearly 
Meeting  an  aged  person  who  had  planned  to  attend 
the  Yearly  Meeting,  was  suddenly  taken  ver\-  ill  and 
died,  and  a  messenger  came  fifty  miles  for  some 
one  to  go  and  take  charge  of  the  funeral  ser^-ices. 
It  fell  to  me  to  go  by  train.  I  took  for  my  text. 
"  The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light  that 
shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."  and 
again  reached  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  as  a  per- 
fect day.  \Vas  much  blessed,  and  the  memory-  of  it 
is  sweet  to  this  day.  At  the  close  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting  I  visited  the  Friends  School  at  Providence 


8o  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

and  returned  home,  thanking  God  for  His  loving 
care  and  safe  keeping.  There  were  days  that  told 
how  much  it  means  to  mind  the  Lord,  a  rare  discip- 
line for  a  trusting  faith.  To  all  young  workers  and 
friends,  let  me  say  that  it  pays  to  be  true.  I  will 
pay  my  vows  in  the  presence  of  all  the  people  in  the 
courts  of  the  Lord's  house. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  summer  of  1879  was  one  of  home  duties  on 
the  farm,  and  Gospel  work  in  the  Hmits  of  Ad- 
rian Quarterly  Meeting.  In  December  of  that  year 
myself  and  wife  held  meetings  a  short  time  at  Alum 
Creek,  Ohio,  then  to  Camp  Chase,  being  joined  there 
by  Joseph  Wakefield  in  a  revival  effort  at  Friends 
Church.    There  was  much  interest  and  good  results. 

Among  the  converts  was  a  German  Catholic,  who 
testified  to  having  found  a  religion  that  changed  the 
heart  far  beyond  that  he  had  been  taught  over  the 
sea.  A  case  of  clear  exhibition  of  overflowing  joy, 
accompanied  with  much  laughter. 

In  January  1880,  we,  in  company  with  Myron  T. 
Hartley,  of  Raisin,  Michigan,  began  a  series  of  meet- 
ings at  Friends  Church,  on  Ohio  street,  Columbus, 
Ohio.  Here  was  a  small  meeting  with  a  few  active 
members,  and  the  Gospel  story  won  the  attention 
of  a  goodly  number  of  hearers  and  soon  the  altar 
had  seekers  on  their  knees  praying  for  mercy  and 
life  till  victory  came. 

Among  them  was  Charlie  Butler,  known  to  be  one 
of  the  hardest  young  men  of  the  city,  often  crazed 
.    8i 


82  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

with  drink,  the  terror  of  his  home,  many  times  in- 
carcerated in  the  city  prison,  when  sober  of  a  genial 
disposition,  and  an  enjoyable  companion.  This 
young  man  was  invited  to  attend  our  meetings  and 
responded.  He  was  the  only  son  of  an  eminent 
physician  who  was  once  an  active  Methodist,  then  a 
cold,  prayerless  backslider.  Perceiving  that  Charlie 
was  under  deep  conviction,  we  sought  an  interview 
with  his  father  in  his  office,  and  urged  him  to  at- 
tend the  church  services  that  evening.  This  he  prom- 
ised to  do.  After  the  preaching  an  altar  call  was 
made,  and  father  and  son  came  forward  as  earnest 
seekers.  I  well  remember  the  father's  confession: 
"  O  God,  I  have  not  uttered  a  prayer  in  thine  ear  in 
twenty  years ;  help  me  to  come  back  to  Thee  that  I 
may  help  my  boy,"  and  both  melted  in  contrition, 
and  prayed  through  to  victory.  The  father  in  hope 
to  save  his  son  from  drink  had  built  a  fine  house  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  city,  and  next  day  we  were  in- 
vited to  the  house  to  dine  with  them,  and  enjoyed  a 
rich  feast.  Charlie's  wife,  amiable  in  disposition, 
formerly  a  school  teacher,  desired  us  to  take  Charlie 
with  us  to  our  next  place  of  work.  They  had  a  son 
of  three  years,  a  bright  boy.  The  light  of  joy 
beamed  upon  every  countenance  that  day  for  salva- 
tion had  come  to  that  house. 

Upon  closing  our  meetings,  our  next  field  of  oper- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  83 

ation  was  at  Friends  Church  at  Selma,  Ohio,  known 
as  Green  Plains  Meeting,  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting. 
While  there  a  letter  came  from  Charlie  Butler's 
wife  saying,  '*  Our  home  is  altogether  new.  Charlie 
is  kind  and  seems  a  new  man,"  and  expressed  a  wish 
that  he  might  be  with  us.  We  said,  let  him  come. 
Meetings  at  Selma  continued  three  weeks,  with  good 
success,  the  membership  revived  and  there  were  a 
number  of  conversions,  closing  with  a  united  call 
from  the  church  to  take  pastoral  charge  of  that  con- 
gregation, of  which  we  will  give  a  full  account  later 
on. 

The  sad  sequel  of  the  life  of  Charlie  Butler  must 
needs  be  given.  After  an  interval  of  a  few  months 
his  father  bought  for  him  a  livery  and  feed  barn,  and 
started  him  in  business  (an  unwise  act),  which 
threw  him  into  bad  association  and  evil  influences. 
Within  one  year  the  old  appetite  for  mtoxicants  re- 
vived, and  Charlie  fell  and  waxed  worse  and  worse, 
until  his  faithful  wife  was  compelled  to  flee  to  the 
parental  home  for  safety,  and  Charlie  was  again  be- 
hind the  bars.  Mrs.  Butler's  parents'  residence  was 
near  Columbia  City,  Indiana.  Charlie,  through  his 
father's  influence,  was  released  from  the  city  prison, 
as  he  had  been  many  times  before,  and  sought  an 
interview  with  his  wife  to  induce  her  to  return, 
and  failing  in  his  effort,  went  away  and  filled  up 


84  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

with  drink.  He  returned  in  a  craze,  and  with  two 
shots  from  a  deadly  revolver  murdered  his  heart- 
broken wife  in  her  own  home.  He  was  arrested, 
tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  and 
was  executed  at  Columbia  City,  Indiana. 

What  are  the  awful  lessons  of  such  a  life?  First. 
Loose  family  government,  with  a  backslidden  father, 
results  in  loose  habits,  loose  associates,  loose  morals, 
depraved  nature,  sensuality.  Second.  Though  for 
all  this  forgiveness  may  be  found  and  new  trial  of 
fidelity  may  be  given,  the  chances  of  stability  are 
extremely  hazardous  without  constant  watchfulness 
and  prayer.  Third.  A  new  disciple  needs  the  best 
associations  for  his  encouragement  and  full  develop- 
ment. Fourth.  Human  weakness  always  accom- 
panies indulgence  in  intoxicants.  Fifth.  An  indul- 
gent father  weakens  the  character  of  his  son.  He 
reaps  what  he  has  sown.  Sixth.  No  woman  can 
safely  plight  her  love  upon  a  tipler;  better  be  com- 
panionless  for  life.  Seventh.  To  all  young  men, 
here  is  a  lesson  of  shame  that  ought  to  ring  in  the 
ears  louder  than  many  mighty  thunderings.  Eighth. 
Wine  is  a  mocker,  strong  drink  is  raging.  Whoever 
is  deceived  thereby  is  not  wise. 


CHAPTER   XV 

INCIDENTAL  mention  was  made  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter  of  a  call  of  Green  Plains  Monthly  Meet- 
ing of  Friends  (Indiana  Yearly  Meeting)  to  serve  the 
meeting  as  pastor.  We  at  once  began  to  consider 
the  subject  prayerfully.  Having  served  Raisin  Cen- 
ter Meeting  for  eight  years  without  a  stipulated  sup- 
port, and  during  those  eight  years  engaged  in  evan- 
gelistic work  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  with 
meager  financial  aid,  to  be  settled  as  pastor  over  a 
flock  with  a  stated  amount  for  compensation,  and  that 
previous  to  the  general  adoption  of  the  pastoral  sys- 
tem, was  a  new  problem  not  easy  to  settle.  That  the 
meeting  needed  a  shepherd  to  follow  the  revival  was 
clearly  evident,  hence  we  waived  decision  till  we 
could  return  home  and  watch  the  providences  for 
light.  Unsought,  an  application  from  a  Friend  to 
rent  my  farm,  met  us  on  our  return,  and  information 
was  received  in  a  few  days  that  a  support  of  $600 
and  pastor's  dwelling  would  be  freely  given  if  we 
were  willing  to  accept  the  charge,  commencing 
April  1,  1880.  Believing  the  Lord's  hand  was  in  it, 
our  reply  was  in  the  affirmative.    We  had  less  than 

85 


86  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

a  month  to  arrange  our  business  and  leave  the  dear- 
est spot  on  earth,  which  had  for  fifteen  years  been 
**  home,  sweet  home." 

Green  Plains,  later  known  as  Selma,  had  a  goodly 
number  of  substantial  families,  the  Smiths,  Hollings- 
worths,  Wildmans,  Howells,  Thorns,  Lawrences  and 
Atkinsons,  also  many  colored  inhabitants.  They 
had  a  good  Friends  house  of  worship.  April  15, 
1880,  found  us  settled  and  ready  for  work.  The 
people  were  very  kind,  slow  in  testimony  and  prayer, 
but  our  gatherings  were  large  and  accompanied  with 
the  Spirit's  power.  Here  for  three  years  the  Lord 
Graciously  held  us  in  His  service,  with  a  few  short 
intervals  in  revival  work.  A  very  choice  company 
of  young  people  helped  to  make  our  meetings  inspir- 
ing and  promising,  and  man}-  of  the  general  public 
were  regular  attenders.  The  initial  experience  of 
R.  Esther  Smith,  now  missionary  in  Central  Amer- 
ica, and  Alice  Lawrence,  a  successful  pastor  in  low^a, 
began  there. 

During  the  first  year  I  was  invited  to  hold  re- 
vival meetings  in  Harveysburg,  Ohio.  This  was  a 
small  meeting  but  well  attended.  There  were  many 
Hicksites  in  and  around  the  village,  some  of  whom 
attended,  not  altogether  approving  the  stress  put 
upon  the  atonement  for  personal  salvation.  It  was 
our  privilege  to  preach  Jesus  as  the  Word   made 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  87 

flesh,  and  His  resurrection  disarming  every  effort 
for  salvation  by  works.  Here  Amos  Cook  was  re- 
newed, who  is  now  the  successful  pastor  at  Friends 
Church  at  Xenia,  Ohio.  Many  others  were  greatly 
helped  in  their  spiritual  life. 

On  returning  to  Selma,  to  my  glad  surprise  I 
found  on  the  center  table  a  complete  set  of  "  Dr. 
Adam  Clark's  Commentaries  "  on  the  whole  Bible, 
accompanied  with  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  donors, 
with  their  compliments,  a  most  welcome  gift  which 
had  been  my  companion  in  study,  all  these  years  of 
service. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  second  year  I  held  a  re- 
vival effort  at  Oak  Ridge  school  house,  three  miles 
south  of  Selma,  resulting  in  twenty-five  conversions, 
most  of  whom  joined  our  church. 

In  December  of  the  third  year  I  was  called  to  hold 
a  revival  at  Short  Creek,  Ohio.  For  three  weeks 
we  prayed,  preached  and  sang  the  Gospel  publicly 
and  from  house  to  house  with  good  results.  Here 
George  Jackson  was  converted,  who  is  now  an  ef- 
ficient revivalist  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
At  the  close  I  returned  to  Selma  to  find  two  evan- 
gelists just  commencing  meetings.  I  had  been  ab- 
sent four  weeks,  and  these  had  come  under  the 
auspices  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting.  I  reached 
home  Monday  evening.     Taking  my  supper,  I   re- 


88  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

paired  to  the  church  expecting  to  meet  a  hearty  wel- 
come from  the  evangeHsts.  To  my  surprise,  no  such 
evidence  was  manifested,  but  a  disposition  to  ignore 
and  count  out  one  whose  right  it  was  to  take  his 
share  in  the  work.  There  were  frequent  allusions  to 
the  innovations  creeping  into  the  church  through 
adoption  of  the  pastoral  system,  but  I  determined 
not  to  cross  them,  but  fall  into  line  helpfully.  They 
were  enthusiasts  and  full  of  noise,  and  soon  the  con- 
tagion spread.  Two  weeks  passed  with  good  con- 
gregations, and  many  at  the  altar,  some  of  whom 
were  converted.  I  took  part  under  God's  blessing, 
till  finally  in  a  day  meeting  the  leader  opened  by  ex- 
horting the  people  in  their  prayers,  to  pray  for  peo- 
ple by  name,  when  he  gave  us  a  sample  by  asking 
the  Lord  to  take  that  man  Miller,  who  has  for  years 
exerted  his  influence  against  Thy  work,  and  either 
convert  him  or  paralyze  his  tongue,  or  strike  him 
dead.  A  physician,  under  deep  conviction,  in  pass- 
ing had  hitched  his  horse  and  come  in  and  went 
straight  to  the  altar  and  was  kneeling  when  this 
prayer  was  uttered.  He  at  once  started  out  the 
door  enraged,  and  scattered  the  report  that  they  w^ere 
asking  God  to  kill  people  at  the  church,  the  eflfect 
being  death  to  the  success  of  further  work. 

This  seemed  a  spirit  of  fanaticism,  altogether  out 
of  harmony  with  the  teaching  of  Jesus.    *'Ye  know 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  89 

not  what  spirit  ye  are  of,  the  Son  of  ^lan  came  not 
to  destroy  men's  Hves,  but  to  save  them,"  and  "  be- 
cause thou  has  not  asked  the  life  of  thine  enemies," 
but  asked  wisdom  and  understanding  to  discern 
judgment  I  have  done  according  to  Thy  word  (I 
Kings  3:11).  All  this  revealed  afresh  the  absolute 
need  every  where  and  always  of  keeping  the  eye  on  the 
Lord  rather  than  on  the  giants.  To  meet  the  many 
questions  put  to  me  as  I  met  people,  I  could  only 
say,  I  have  never  felt  like  asking  for  calamity  to 
fall  on  sinners,  but  on  the  contrary,  that  a  merciful 
God  might  take  every  case  in  hand  if  happily 
they  might  be  saved.  This  man  Miller  was  the  son 
of  a  Swedenborgen  minister,  void  of  religion,  wont 
to  make  sport  of  it,  but  who  at  this  time  when  he 
heard  the  Friends  were  to  hold  special  meetings, 
cancelled  the  arrangement  of  a  dance  at  his  resi- 
dence so  as  not  to  appear  to  have  it  in  the  way.  I 
have  always  been  satisfied  this  was  the  outcome  of 
unwise  filling  the  mind  of  the  evangelist  by  the 
members  of  the  church,  often  so  fatal  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  work.  I  have  purposely  withheld  the 
names  of  the  evangelists,  both  of  whom  have  finished 
their  course  and  passed  to  their  reward.  There  were 
no  permanent  gains  to  the  church,  but  all  fell  flat. 
This  was  a  trying  experience,  but  a  discipline 
fraught  with  lessons  of  lasting  worth,  which  to  this 


90  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

day  shows  the  necessity  of  constantly  looking  unto 
Jesus.  It  was  my  privilege  to  meet  the  Selma 
Friends  in  the  early  month  of  this  year  in  their 
monthly  meeting,  now  small.  They  gave  many  ex- 
pressions of  the  high  appreciation  of  the  three  years' 
service  among  them,  and  the  memory  of  those  years 
is  an  oasis  along  the  desert.  As  the  meeting  at 
Raisin  Center  desired  my  return,  it  seemed  to  be 
the  will  of  the  Lord  that  we  return  in  the  spring  of 
1883.  While  at  Selma  the  marriage  of  our  young- 
est daughter,  Florence,  took  place,  December  16, 1880, 
to  Ezra  H.  Porter,  of  Fruit  Ridge,  Michigan,  Sam- 
uel B.  Smith,  who  was  a  brother  of  "Aunt "  Laura 
Haviland,  officiating. 

While  at  Selma  I  officiated  at  the  marriage  of  El- 
more Osborne  and  Laura  Levering,  of  Alum  Creek, 
Ohio,  my  first  experience  in  solemnizing  the  mar- 
riage covenant.  Selma  yet  remains  a  fertile  spot 
in  memory,  though  the  warm  friends  gained  there 
are  now  widely  scattered.  Many  have  crossed  the 
river  into  the  family  above,  but  Jesus  remains  a 
faithful  High  Priest  to  them  that  are  heirs  of  salva- 
tion.    Praise  His  name. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

APRIL  1,  1883,  found  iis  again  on  the  farm  at 
y^L  Raisin  Center,  recognized  as  pastor  of  that 
congregation  without  a  fixed  salary.  The  members 
were  very  kind  and  often  volunteered  helpful  as- 
sistance in  my  farm  work,  also  with  small  contri- 
butions of  money. 

For  the  greater  part  of  three  years  we  served  in 
this  capacity  at  the  old  battle-ground  of  my  younger 
days,  being  now  fifty-six  years  of  age.  During  the 
summer  I  held  cottage  meetings  in  Adrian  City,  and 
also  at  the  Alethodist  Protestant  chapel  on  Sabbath 
afternoon  with  good  interest.  Short  revival  ser- 
vices were  also  held  at  Raisin  Valley  and  Ypsilanti 
with  good  interest  in  the  uplift  of  the  church  mem- 
bership, and  sinners  found  forgiveness  and  life 
through  faith  in  a  personal  Saviour. 

My  messages  were  given  in  the  energy  of  the 
Spirt,  with  small  evidence  of  emotion  or  excitement, 
pressing  the  inquirer  to  take  definite  action  and 
make  quick  decision  for  forgiveness,  and  the  added 
filling  of  the  Spirit  necessary  for  living  a  holy  life 
and  completeness  in  Jesus  Christ. 

91 


92  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

The  Gospel  must  include  the  six  fundamentals  in 
the  realm  of  grace  and  experience  as  taught  by 
Christ  and  the  apostles. 

As  in  the  science  of  numbers  there  are  six  funda- 
mentals, viz. :  Notation,  Enumeration,  Addition,  Sub- 
traction, Multiplication  and  Division,  so  in  the  sci- 
ence of  Salvation  there  are  a  like  number  of  funda- 
mental necessities  to  a  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God, 
viz. :  the  New  Birth,  A  Title  clear,  Addition  of  cour- 
age, Subtraction  of  defilement.  Multiplication  of 
love,  peace  and  joy,  and  rightly  Dividing  the  Word 
of  Truth,  going  on  to  perfection ;  all  these  are  nec- 
essary to  solve  the  problems  of  life  and  immortality 
as  described  in  Hebrew  6:1-2.  Repentance  from 
dead  works.  Faith  toward  God,  Baptism  of  repent- 
ance and  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  Laying  on  of  Hands, 
the  Resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  Eternal  Judgment. 
These  are  the  utterances  of  Divine  revelation,  and 
when  proclaimed  under  divine  anointing  must  win 
souls  by  him  who  is  wise. 

During  the  summer  of  1885,  at  the  request  of  the 
elders  of  Rollin  Monthly  Meeting,  1  served  as  pas- 
tor, which  required  a  drive  of  twenty-two  miles, 
often  making  this  on  Sabbath  morning.  The  meet- 
ings were  large  and  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  was 
with  us. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  93 

In  the  winter  of  1885-86  I  was  invited  to  hold  a 
series  of  meetings  at  Friends  Church  at  Damascus, 
Ohio.  I  had  previously  held  a  revival  there  in  com- 
pany with  James  H.  Morgan,  in  which  many  souls 
were  brought  into  the  liberty  of  full  salvation. 
Damascus  Friends  meeting  was  one  of  the  largest 
in  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting.  For  a  co-laborer  I  in- 
vited Loren  G.  Bird,  of  Adrian,  Michigan,  to  join 
in  that  work.  Brother  Bird  was  a  very  devout  man 
who  had  come  to  Friends  from  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  where  he  had  been  a  noted  class 
leader  for  many  years.  After  a  series  of  meetings 
conducted  by  D.  B.  Updegraff,  he  chose  to  identify 
himself  with  Friends,  being  a  man  of  God  in  the 
true  meaning  of  the  term.  Reaching  Damascus  the 
latter  part  of  January,  we  began  meetings  under 
what  seemed  very  untoward  conditions.  A  con- 
tinued rainfall  of  fifty  hours  confronted  us ;  congre- 
gations were  small.  On  the  third  day,  with  an 
audience  of  about  forty,  I  began  speaking  on  the 
subject  of  faith  having  good  liberty,  when  suddenly 
a  very  dark  cloud  overshadowed  us.  Being  too  dark 
to  read,  I  became  overwhelmingly  impressed  to  stop 
and  say,  "  Friends,  this  is  a  very  dark  time,  but  the 
Lord  wants  me  to  say  that  in  sixty  minutes  the  sun 
will  shine  brightly  in  these  south  windows."  Hav- 
ing obeyed,  I  took  up  my  theme  and  proceeded  to 


94  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

the  consideration  of  the  facts  of  living  faith,  its  cer- 
tainties and  assurances.  One  could  but  discern  a 
spirit  of  curiosity,  saying  "  We  will  see,''  yet  I  had 
no  misgivings  about  it  w^hatever,  for  faith  had  ven- 
tured on  a  fact  to  be  demonstrated.  True  to  my 
faith,  at  fifty  minutes  the  clear  sunshine  came  and 
with  it  a  very  marked  spirit  of  confidence  took  pos- 
session of  the  audience.  This  was  altogether  a  new 
experience,  and  after  the  close  of  the  meeting,  I  re- 
marked to  Brother  Bird,  "  I  do  not  know  that  I  un- 
derstand this."  He  replied,  "  It  means  a  revival, 
sure."  Three  nights  after,  twenty  seekers  were  at 
the  altar  and  prayed  through.  Meetings  continued 
three  weeks  with  unabated  interest  and  success, 
with  a  general  quickening  of  the  membership,  fol- 
lowed by  a  call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the  church. 
Brother  Bird  did  valiant  service  throughout. 

Being  desirous  that  the  will  of  the  Lord  might  be 
done  at  this  unlooked  for  crisis  in  my  work,  I  sent 
for  my  wife  to  come  that  we  might  together  investi- 
gate the  whole  matter.  Jeremiah  Grinnell  had  been 
serving  as  pastor  to  good  satisfaction,  but  now  de- 
sired to  be  released,  and  favored  me  as  his  successor. 
He  was  a  noble  man  of  God.  John  Butler,  a  worthy 
elder,  who  had  long  sat  at  the  head  of  the  meeting, 
also  favored  the  change.  The  Monthly  Meeting  ap- 
pointed a  committee  of  nine  to  confer  with  us,  and 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  95 

after  full  deliberation  an  affirmative  decision  was 
reached,  and  on  returning  we  began  making  ai  ■ 
rangements  for  removal  to  enter  the  open  door  which 
the  Lord  had  given  us. 

To  give  home  over  to  others  was  no  small  sacri- 
fice, even  though  a  fair  support  was  pledged.  April 
1,  1886,  found  us  safely  settled  at  Damascus,  with 
our  membership  transferred  to  that  body  of  Friends. 
The  meeting  was  in  good  spiritual  condition,  audi- 
ences large  and  appreciative,  accompanied  with  great 
liberty  in  worship.  Always  accustomed  to  toil  as  a 
part  of  my  being,  I  turned  some  Damascus  soil  up- 
side down  and  exerted  some  effort  for  garden  and 
corn. 

These  were  pleasant  days  under  Divine  blessing 
as  the  months  sped  on.  Even  in  auspicious  times 
one  needs  constantly  to  draw  nigh  unto  God  in 
prayer  lest  one  be  exalted  above  measure.  The  dear 
people  were  exceedingly  kind  and  the  good  pleasure 
of  the  Lord  was  upon  us. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

PREVIOUS  to  our  reaching  Damascus,  that  vil- 
lage had  received  a  terrible  shock  by  the  suicide 
of  one  of  its  prominent  citizens.  He  had  a  birthright 
among  Friends,  but  when  the  Civil  War  came  on  he 
enlisted  as  a  private,  and  being  a  man  of  courage, 
with  a  strong  physique,  was  promoted  to  the  station 
of  colonel,  served  through  the  war,  and  was  honor- 
ably discharged.  A  few  years  later  he  was  soundly 
converted,  and  the  writer  heard  him  at  a  general 
meeting  in  the  opera  house  at  Alliance,  Ohio,  give 
this  testimony :  ''  I  have  faced  the  cannon's  mouth, 
but  it  took  greater  courage  to  face  a  sinful  life,  and 
surrender  to  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation  than  for  car- 
nal strife."  Afterwards  he  fell  into  disobedience, 
became  financially  involved,  and  rather  than  face 
the  force  of  the  law,  ended  his  own  life.  This  had  an 
alarming  effect  upon  the  community,  and  brought 
conviction  upon  many,  and  was  accepted  as  a  warn- 
ing from  above.  I  know  of  no  other  locality  where 
there  was  a  greater  demonstration  of  the  power  of 
the  Spirit  for  conviction.  Men  may  draw  back  into 
perdition.     Damascus  had  seen  a  sweeping  revival, 

96 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  97 

in  which  more  than  five  hundred  had  been  brought 
into  the  kingdom.  Entering  this  fruitful  field  was 
fraught  with  great  responsibility.  How  to  foster 
that  which  was  right  and  guard  against  extremes, 
required  straight-forwardness  and  clear  discernment. 
During  the  first  year  the  agitation  upon  the  so-called 
ordinances  of  water  baptism  and  the  supper  became 
sharp,  because  of  a  small  number  of  Friends  in  Ohio 
Yearly  Meeting  having  been  baptized  with  water. 
Having  personal  convictions  that  neither  baptism  or 
the  supper,  were  essential  to  salvation,  and  declaring 
myself  saved  by  the  atoning  blood  of  the  covenant  of 
grace,  and  that  I  had  no  use  for  any  veil  between  me 
and  Christ,  and  that  no  new  ordinance  was  insti- 
tuted at  the  last  passover  supper,  but  that  when 
Jesus  said,  "  With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this 
passover,  before  I  am  taken  from  you,"  He  implied 
that  this  is  the  last  time  I  shall  take  of  these  sym- 
bols, and  declare  that  the  bread  typifies  My  body 
broken  for  you,  and  this  wine  is  My  blood  of  the 
New  Testament. 

Firmly  established  on  this  ground  of  faith,  I  was 
reckoned  conservative  to  a  large  degree  in  this  agi- 
tation, and  was  willing  to  place  myself  on  that  plat- 
form, and  took  stand  on  the  line  of  intolerance,  and 
at  the  Yearly  Meeting  at  Mt.  Pleasant  was  counted 
on  the  anti-ordinance  side.     During  the  following 


g8  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

year  I  became  convinced  that  for  me  to  battle  a  non- 
essential was  not  my  calling,  and  would  endanger 
my  own  experience,  hence  at  the  Yearly  Meeting  at 
Damascus  I  fully  affirmed  my  own  consciousness, 
with  regard  to  the  subject,  stating  my  convictions 
were  very  dear  to  me.  I  also  believed  in  the  sin- 
cerity of  dear  brethren  and  sisters,  who  desired  tol- 
eration in  these  matters.  I  was  willing  to  grant 
them  unabused  liberty  and  extend  to  them  brotherly 
kindness  and  fellowship,  and  the  Yearly  Meeting 
passed  the  crisis,  and  toleration  became  the  uniting 
policy  henceforward.  There  followed  a  deep  sense 
that  I  had  grieved  some  of  my  very  dear  Friends, 
and  there  came  a  strong  test  of  my  consecration.  My 
flock  was  divided  with  regard  to  my  action,  a  mea- 
sure of  support  was  withdrawn,  close  places  fol- 
lowed, and  great  watchfulness  became  necessary,  close 
prayer  was  resorted  to.  No  keener  grief  had  ever 
been  mine  than  to  grieve  dear  Uncle  John  Butler, 
who  had  been  my  companion  in  travel  in  the  min- 
istry, and  who  now  considered  me  a  balky  horse. 
Over  this  master,  I  resorted  to  my  upper  chamber 
for  audience  with  God,  and  after  hours  of  prayer,  I 
seemed  to  hear  the  language,  "  Go  on  with  thy  work 
and  I  will  care  for  thee."  The  widespread  interest 
in  the  ordinance  question  in  the  Friends'  Church 
had  become  so  great  that  a  call  for  a  general  dele- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  99 

gate  conference  was  issued,  to  be  held  at  Richmond, 
Indiana,  in  October,  1887.  In  response  to  that  call 
the  American  Yearly  Meetings  each  appointed  dele- 
gates, Ohio  among  them. 

John  Butler,  D.  B.  Updegraff,  Asa  Rim,  myself 
and  others  were  among  the  delegation.  After  the 
call  to  order,  the  conference  proceded  to  appoint 
one  person  from  each  Yearly  Meeting  on  order  of 
business,  and  I  was  selected  from  the  Ohio  delega- 
tion to  serve  on  that  committee.  Later  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  prepare  a  declaration  of  Faith,  and 
I  was  selected  to  act  on  that  arduous  task.  This 
conference  was  composed  of  many  of  the  leading 
Friends  of  different  parts  of  the  country,  some  of 
whom  I  had  never  met  before.  About  one  hundred 
delegates  were  together  to  discuss  great  questions 
of  doctrine  and  practice,  who  were  supposed  to  have 
the  spiritual  interest  at  heart  and  able  to  come  to 
decisions  that  would  result  in  great  unity  of  purpose 
for  the  future  of  the  Friends  Church.  When  the 
matter  of  the  ordinances  came  before  the  committee 
on  order  of  business,  a  delegate  from  Baltimore  re- 
marked, "  We  ought  to  do  something  for  the  help  of 
Ohio  Yearly  Meeting."  To  this  an  Indiana  delegate 
replied,  "  Before  coming  together  I  thought  so,  too, 
but  Friend  D.  B.  Updegraff  is  here,  and  if  we  open 
this  matter  for  discussion,  he  will  carry  the  confer- 


lOo          Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

ence."  A  delegate  from  Western  united  with  the 
thought  that  it  would  be  wise  not  to  open  it  for  dis- 
cussion. I  said,  "Friends,  Ohio  has  passed  the  crest- 
line  of  agitation  and  is  settling  down  on  practical 
ground.  If  you  introduce  this  matter  in  the  other 
Yearly  Meetings  it  will  be  a  disturbing  element 
among  you."  The  result  was  a  simple  statement 
that  recent  action  was  sufficient,  and  no  new  discip- 
line was  needed,  which  was  adopted  by  the  confer- 
ence. The  committee  to  prepare  a  Declaration  of 
Faith  proceded  to  fulfill  the  object  of  their  appoint- 
ment, and  had  their  meeting  at  the  home  of  Allen 
Jay.  The  committee  requested  James  E.  Rhoads,  of 
Philadelphia,  to  do  the  copying  and  arranging  of 
matter  furnished  him  from  day  to  day.  J.  Bevan 
Brathwaite,  of  London,  taking  an  active  part,  and 
after  careful  and  repeated  reading  before  the  com- 
mittee it  was  presented  to  the  conference  and  most 
carefully  discussed,  resulting  in  the  adoption  there- 
of. After  being  passed  upon,  so  great  was  the  feel- 
ing of  the  success  of  the  work,  that  Allen  Jay  pro- 
posed that  the  pen  used  in  writing  that  document, 
should  be  preserved  as  a  memorial  of  the  success  of 
the  conference. 

The  Ohio  delegation  returned  with  the  assurance 
of  peace,  and  dear  John  Butler,  in  feeble  health  all 
through  the  conference,  continued  to  decline,  and 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  loi 

passed  to  his  rich  reward  peacefully,  on  December 
12  following.  I  regard  these  experiences  as  a  part 
of  the  best  discipline  of  my  ministerial  service,  as 
may  be  further  described  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

HAVING  firm  convictions  that  Jesus  Christ  in- 
stituted no  new  ordinance  at  the  last  supper, 
but  simply  used  the  symbols  to  explain  the  real  sig- 
nificance of  them,  and  that  when  He  said,  "  With 
desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this  Passover  with  you 
before  I  am  taken  from  you,"  these  signify  that  un- 
der grace  ''  I  "  am  the  Passover.  "  This  is  my  body 
broken  for  you.  My  blood  shed  for  the  remission  of 
sins."  Being  satisfied  and  strong  in  my  convictions, 
I  publicly  avowed  them,  at  the  same  time  some  of 
my  very  dear  friends  having  decidedly  strong  con- 
viction, with  evident  and  equal  sincerity,  I  could 
not  break  fellowship  with  them  on  a  non-essential. 
Naturally,  my  position  caused  some  friction  and 
placed  me  in  a  peculiar  position,  some  misunder- 
standing my  action. 

It  had  been  my  practice  to  spend  a  portion  of  each 
winter  in  evangelistic  effort.  I  had  held  services  at 
Beloit,  at  Cook's  Hall,  every  Sabbath  evening  for 
some  time  and  had  some  conversions,  so  that  some 
faithful  friends  were  inclined  to  believe  the  time  was 
near  when  a  Friends  meeting  should  be  organized, 

1 02 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  103 

then,  after  a  few  months  a  request  was  made,  signed 
by  a  goodly  number  of  members  of  Damascus 
Monthly  Meeting,  for  such  action,  which,  after 
careful  investigation,  was  granted.  Two  other  out- 
posts were  occupied,  viz. :  Garfield  and  New  Middle- 
ton.  I  also  engaged  in  revival  work  at  East  Rich- 
land and  Camp  Chase.  While  at  Camp  Chase  it  was 
my  privilege  in  my  family  visits  to  call  on  ''  Uncle  " 
John  Cowgill,  an  aged  Friend,  who  was  suffering 
with  an  attack  of  the  grip.  After  prayer  and  some 
conversation,  I  asked  him  if  he  had  made  provision 
for  the  disposition  of  his  property,  knowing  that  he 
had  considerable  means.  He  replied,  "  I  have  two 
farms  in  Champaign  County  which  I  hold  for  sale, 
and  expect  to  donate  the  proceeds  to  Ohio  Yearly 
Meeting,  the  income  to  aid  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try." I  said,  "  Why  not  deed  them  to  that  meeting 
now^?"  After  a  few  days  he  requested  me  to  call 
again,  which  I  did,  when  he  said,  "  I  have  concluded 
to  act  according  to  thy  suggestion,"  and  called  a 
lawyer  to  execute  a  deed.  Hence  the  fund  of  about 
$8,000,  known  as  the  Cowgill  Fund,  one-half  the  in- 
come going  for  missions,  the  other  half  for  evange- 
listic work. 

In  1881  I  asked  Damascus  Monthly  Meeting  for 
credentials  to  attend  Western  Yearly  Meeting,  and 
perform  some  evangelistic  service  within  its  limits. 


I04  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

This  was  refused  on  account  of  my  tolerance  on  the 
ordinance  question,  by  a  conservative  minority,  to 
which  I  cheerfully  submitted.  At  the  next  Monthly 
Meeting  I  repeated  the  request  with  a  similar  result. 
Before  the  next  Monthly  Meeting  there  came  into 
the  neighborhood  a  visiting  minister  from  Indiana 
with  satisfactory  credentials,  who,  in  addition  to 
his  public  service,  visited  all  the  families  of  the 
Monthly  Meeting.  When  Monthly  Meeting  came 
I  felt  the  burden  so  heavily  that  I  could  do  no  other 
than  repeat  the  request,  and  the  meeting  granted  me 
the  proper  credentials.  Accordingly,  I  attended 
the  Yearly  Meeting  at  Plainfield,  in  September, 
reaching  there  after  an  all  night's  travel.  I  entered 
the  large  tent  quietly,  while  J.  H.  Douglas  was 
speaking,  I  hoped  unobserved,  but  he  soon  discovered 
me  and  called  me  to  the  platform,  and  after  a  brief 
message,  suggested  that  I  follow  him.  A  fifteen- 
minute  talk  gave  me  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
larger  service  in  the  sessions  of  the  Yearly  Meeting. 
After  the  close  I  returned  to  Damascus,  and  re- 
mained a  few  weeks. 

At  that  time  David  Hadley  was  general  superin- 
tendent of  evangelistic  and  pastoral  work  of  West- 
ern Yearly  Meeting,  and  I  wrote  him  that  I  felt 
drawn  to  do  some  revival  work  in  their  borders,  if 
way  was  open  for  it.     His  reply  was  he  would  as- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  105 

certain  and  let  me  know.  Along  with  his  postal  in 
the  same  mail  came  a  leter  saying,  "  There  is  a  large 
opening,"  adding,  ''  The  King's  business  requires 
haste."  November  15  found  me  at  Mill  Creek,  near 
Danville,  Indiana,  to  begin  my  first  effort.  Two 
weeks'  meeting  resulted  in  a  few  conversions,,  and  a 
general  quickening  of  the  Christians.  I  was  enter- 
tained at  Simon  Hadley's,  only  one  of  the  numer- 
ous persons  of  the  Hadley  name,  so  prominent  in 
that  community.  The  memories  of  that  work  are 
rich  with  comfort. 

The  next  field  assigned  for  service  was  at  Sand 
Creek,  where  was  an  academy.  Meetings  were  well 
attended  and  good  interest  manifested,  a  few  con- 
versions and  church  helped.  There  I  had  come  a 
few  years  previously,  from  Dublin,  Indiana,  an  en- 
tire stranger,  save  one  person.  Leaving  Elizabeth- 
town  in  the  forenoon,  I  reached  the  residence  of 
John  Thomas,  who  sat  head  of  Sand  Creek  meet- 
ing, in  December.  As  I  walked  into  the  front  yard, 
he  and  his  hand  came  out  of  the  house  on  their 
way  to  the  barn.  *T  said,  "  Is  this  John  Thomas'  ? " 
He  replied  in  the  affirmative.  He  was  evidently  not 
inclined  to  give  much  time  to  an  imagined  book- 
seller with  outfit  in  hand.  He  kept  on  his  way. 
I  said,  "  Wait  a  moment,"  and  presented  my  cre- 
dentials.    Then  he  said,  "  Go  in  and  get  dinner," 


io6  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

which,  when  over,  he  said,  '*  What  does  thee  want?" 
I  said,  "  I  am  here  to  have  three  meetings  in  this 
vicinity.  I  will  leave  it  with  thee  whether  two  of 
them  shall  be  at  Sand  Creek,  and  one  at  Azalia,  or 
vice  versa."  The  resiilt  was  two  at  the  former 
place.  In  these  services  the  Lord  greatly  blessed 
me  in  giving  His  message,  and  on  returning  from 
the  last,  John  said,  "  I  like  this  service  very  much." 
He  was  a  dear,  good  man,  and  on  this  second  service 
was  a  strong  support  to  the  work.  Meetings  con- 
tinued two  weeks ;  then  I  wxnt  to  Azalia  and  had 
five  meetings,  in  which  some  opposition  to  the  teach- 
ing of  entire  sanctification  was  manifested,  but  vic- 
tory crowned  our  efforts.  The  home  of  Isaac  Lind- 
ley,  beekeeper,  was  our  place  of  sojourn. 

The  third  place  suggested  by  David  Hadley  was 
East  Branch  (now  Gray  meeting),  about  sixteen 
miles  north  of  Indianapolis.  At  the  opening  here 
we  at  once  began  house-to-house  work,  with  spe- 
cial teaching  and  testing,  whether  with  converted  or 
unconverted,  and  many  were  signally  blessed  in  their 
own  homes.  One  family  refused  our  having  prayer 
with  them.  This  effort  continued  three  weeks  with 
nearly  one  hundred  conversions,  closing  with  un- 
abated interest. 

From  East  Branch  we  went  to  Kokomo  Quarterly 
Meeting,  and  then  to  Russiaville,  a  town  of  1,200. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  107 

Here  we  had  our  home  with  Jonathan  Dixon.  Three 
weeks  here  resulted  in  conversions,  reconciHations, 
reclamations  and  signal  victories.  During  these  ser- 
vices an  intelligent  young  man,  son  of  a  Baptist 
minister,  attending  school  in  the  village,  would 
come  at  the  noon  hour  and  get  what  he  could,  which, 
with  the  evening  services  brought  him  under  deep 
conviction,  and  he  found  his  way  to  the  altar.  Kneel- 
ing at  his  side,  I  spoke  a  few  words  of  encourage- 
ment, when  he  inquired  if  he  got  converted,  would 
I  baptize  him.  I  said  sharply  to  him,  ''  Is  that  what 
fills  your  mind?  If  so,  go  back  to  your  seat.  What 
you  need  is  forgiveness ;  put  your  energy  on  that 
line,  and  go  through,"  and  soon  his  penitent  cry 
went  up  to  God  until  victory  came,  and  at  once  he 
became  a  strong  factor  for  the  help  of  others.  He 
said  no  more  about  baptism,  for  he  had  that  which 
was  better,  a  personal  Saviour  in  Jesus.  ^Nlany 
other  cases  of  definite  work  might  be  given,  but  we 
pass  to  the  next  field,  Westfield. 

The  success  of  the  meetings  at  East  Branch,  a 
few  miles  away,  had  encouraged  the  Friends  of 
Westfield  to  request  us  to  come  there.  This  was 
one  of  the  largest  meetings  of  Western  Yearly 
Meeting,  having  several  local  ministers,  among 
them,  Nathan  Clark,  an  honored  servant  of  the  Lord. 
Meetings  from  the  first  showed  great  interest,  and 


io8         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

the  room  was  packed  every  evening.  Meetings  con- 
tinued two  weeks,  giving  spiritual  uplift  to  the 
church,  and  a  small  number  saved.  At  the  close 
came  Quarterly  Meeting.  It  was  my  privilege  to 
attend  the  meeting  of  Ministry  and  Oversight. 
There  was  a  proposition  to  record  a  young  man  for 
the  ministry  to  which  some  objected,  because  he 
had  been  baptized.  All  believed  he  had  a  gift,  and 
he  said  he  expected  to  be  loyal  to  the  church ;  he  had 
good  gift  of  song.  After  considerable  discussion,  Na- 
than Clark  asked  if  the  meeting  would  not  be  will- 
ing to  have  some  remarks  from  Jacob  Baker,  to 
which  unanimous  consent  was  given.  I  said  my 
short  acquaintance  with  him  leads  me  to  believe  he 
has  a  gift  in  the  ministry,  to  which  you  all  agree, 
and  after  promising  loyalty  to  the  church,  I  think 
you  should  let  the  past  go,  and  give  him  a  chance 
to  prove  himself.  There  was  consent  to  his  being 
recorded.  He  is  now  a  loyal,  faithful  pastor  of  a 
city  meeting. 

After  Quarterly  Meeting,  I  went  to  Spiceland 
Quarterly  Meeting,  which  closed  a  five  months'  ser- 
vice, which  seems  to  have  been  honored  of  God  and 
a  lasting  comfort  to  me. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

1  REMAINED  at  Spiceland  after  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing five  days,  taking  part  in  evangelistic  meet- 
ings, associated  with  Joseph  H.  Smith,  the  noted  Hol- 
iness Evangelist  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Under  his  clear  Biblical  teaching  in  that  large  con- 
gregation, mostly  composed  of  members  of  the 
Friends  Church,  many  were  led  to  a  complete  con- 
secration and  received  the  one  Christian  Baptism 
from  the  living  Christ  to  whom  has  been  given  this 
prerogative  for  completeness  in  Him.  In  taking  a 
retrospect  of  this  campaign  of  five  months  the  ques- 
tion naturally  arose,  what  was  the  secret  of  success? 
With  a  consciousness  of  no  personal  merit,  but 
through  Divine  anointing  to  preach  Christ  and  Him 
crucified,  the  only  gospel  of  God,  could  be  attrib- 
uted this  service.  Mankind  are  made  saints  not  by 
culture,  not  by  heredity,  descent  or  inheritance,  but 
by  being  begotten  into  a  living  way  by  the  Resur- 
rection of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead ;  not  of  works 
least  any  man  should  boast. 

Leaving  Spiceland,   I  had  arranged  to  meet  my 
wife  at  our  son-in-law's,  Ezra   H.   Porter,  at  Sand 

109 


no  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Creek,  Michigan.  In  the  preceding  autumn  I  had 
visited  the  old  home,  and  on  my  return  to  Damas- 
cus had  taken  home  with  me  our  only  grandchild, 
Bertha  Porter,  the  only  child  of  E.  H.  and  Florence 
E.  Porter,  then  eight  years  of  age,  to  remain  with  us 
a  few  weeks.  My  long  absence  in  Indiana  had  made 
it  necessary  to  prolong  her  stay  until  she  could  be 
accompanied  home  under  proper  care.  The  dear 
girl  and  all  were  glad  to  be  reunited  at  the  loved 
hearthstone  of  a  model  Christian  home  on  the  first 
of  April,  1892.  This  dear  child  is  now  the  wife  of 
Morris  N.  Dillon,  of  Denver,  Colorado.  Their  lives 
are  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  at  present  in  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  work,  with  ex- 
pectation of  transfer  to  the  foreign  mission  work, 
in  some  future  day,  as  the  Lord  may  lead.  To  them 
a  child  is  born,  a  son,  our  only  great-grandchild,  now 
a  gem  of  a  boy  in  his  second  year. 

After  a  short  stay,  we  returned  to  Damascus,  Ohio, 
to  serve  in  the  gospel  where  God  in  His  good  provi- 
dence had  not  yet  released  us  from  some  measure  of 
oversight,  to  feed  the  Church  of  God  over  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  had  made  us  overseer. 

In  the  autumn  of  1892  I  again  attended  Kansas 
Yearly  Meeting,  having  much  liberty  in  gospel  ser- 
vice, and  there  was  given  a  pressing  invitation  to 
hold  a  series  of  meetings  at  New  Providence,  Iowa, 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  1 1 1 

at  the  close  of  the  holidays,  William  P.  Haworth 
being  pastor  of  that  meeting.  At  the  close  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  I  went  to  Emporia,  Kansas,  and 
was  associated  with  Ellwood  Scott  in  a  short  effort 
for  souls ;  then  to  Kansas  City  for  a  week,  and  then 
returned  to  Damascus,  taking  in  the  conference  at 
Indianapolis.  Soon  after  I  received  a  unanimous 
call  from  the  Friends  Church  at  Raisin  Center,  Mich- 
igan, my  old  home  meeting,  to  be  their  pastor.  Hav- 
ing had  no  liberty  up  to  this  time  to  leave  Damas- 
cus, after  prayerful  consideration,  it  seemed  to  be 
the  mind  of  the  Lord  that  I  should  accept  this  call 
and  accordingly,  the  first  Sabbath  in  December, 
1892,  found  me  returned  to  the  place  where  I  was 
brought  up,  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  upon  me  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  to  heal  the  broken- 
hearted, deliverance  to  the  captives,  recovering  sight 
to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised, 
and  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  Here,  with 
small  support,  I  served  the  church  acceptably  for 
many  years.  In  October,  I  had  again  attended  the 
Five  Years'  Conference  as  a  delegate  from  Ohio 
Yearly  Meeting,  where  for  the  first  time  I  discov- 
ered a  determined  effort  on  the  part  of  a  few  leading 
spirits  to  unite  all  calling  themselves  Friends,  into 
one  body,  even  those  denying  the  Deity  of  Christ, 
and  adopting  this  motto:   ''That  they  all  may  be 


112  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

one,"  they  placed  it  at  the  head  of  a  prominent  pub- 
lication of  the  church,  as  I  may  have  occasion  to 
mention  in  further  allusion  to  the  work  of  the  suc- 
ceeding five  year  conferences. 

Following  the  holidays  I  responded  to  the  call  for 
work  at  New  Providence,  being  accompanied  by 
Peter  Binford,  Beloit,  Ohio,  who  was  converted  un- 
der my  pastorate  at  Damascus.  We  reached  the 
town  on  Sabbath  morning,  after  an  all-night  ride, 
necessitated  by  failure  of  anticipated  connection,  in 
time  for  miorning  service.  Here  was  New  Provi- 
dence Academy,  and  having  no  church  building, 
meetings  were  held  in  the  school  building.  We  had 
our  place  of  entertainment  at  David  Hunt's  daugh- 
ter's, with  whom  the  father,  now  an  octogenarian, 
had  his  home.  The  school  building  being  occupied 
during  the  day,  most  of  the  services  were  confined 
to  the  evening,  which  made  it  the  more  free  for 
family  visiting  during  the  day.  In  this  work  we 
were  accompanied  by  David  Hunt.  In  association 
with  this  veteran  of  the  Cross,  we  were  delighted 
with  his  familiarity  with  and  unflinching  belief  of 
the  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures.  He  emphatically 
declared  that  the  Christ  of  the  Bible  and  of  Calvary 
was  not  a  *'  spirit  Christ,"  but  the  Word  made  flesh, 
a  real  person.  In  a  family  visit,  consisting  of  hus- 
band, wife  and  four  adult  daughters,  as  we  entered 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  1 1 3 

I  discovered  an  organ.  After  a  few  moments  I 
asked  "  Uncle  David  "  if  he  would  give  us  the  story 
of  Elisha  concerning  the  ''  Filling  of  the  ditches. 
In  response,  he  gave  us,  almost  verbatim,  a  recital 
of  the  narrative.  When  done,  I  said,  "  There  is  one 
phrase  of  Elisha's  I  hoped  thee  would  have  recalled, 
'Bring  me  a  minstrel.' "  It  would  seem  that  during 
the  instrumental  music  Elisha  was  getting  his  mes- 
sage from  God,  what  to  do  to  gain  the  victory.  It 
seemed  impressed  upon  me  to  request  one  of  these 
daughters  to  use  the  instrument  preparatory  to  this 
service.  The  father  was  in  the  background,  but  ere 
the  close  of  the  service  he  became  broken  in  spirit 
and  found  victory.  Meetings  continued  two  weeks, 
with  the  church  greatly  strengthened  and  a  few  con- 
versions. David  Hunt  could  not  attend  at  night. 
One  day  I  felt  the  need  of  a  message  on  the  Atone- 
ment, and  gave  what  I  deemed  to  be  the  conclusion 
and  only  criterion  of  the  whole  scheme  of  redemp- 
tion, with  fresh  girding  and  we  had  a  fresh  con- 
sciousness of  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  David  Hunt,  at  the  close,  taking  me  by  the 
hand,  remarked,  "Jacob,  I  don't  think  anybody  can 
accuse  thee  of  making  Hicksites."  Closing,  we  were 
asked  to  hold  a  few  meetings  at  a  vacant  Friends 
meeting  house  at  Highland.  After  the  first  meeting 
we  were  invited  to  dine  with  a  noted  critic  of  the  vi- 


114  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

cinity.  At  the  dinner  hour  he  remarked  that  "  Judas 
was  a  devil  from  the  beginning."  I  kindly  remarked 
on  what  authority  could  he  claim  this ;  he  replied, 
*'The  Scriptures."  I  said,  '*  While  I  occupy  the 
lounge  for  a  rest,  please  find  the  place  so  as  to  re- 
peat it  when  I  awake."  I  said,  ''  That  would  make 
Jesus  responsible  for  choosing  a  devil  to  the  apostle- 
ship,  and  the  apostles  a  devil  treasurer.  The  record 
says  '  the  devil  entered  into  him.'  He  was  outside 
before  this."  He  consented  to  make  the  search. 
After  an  hour's  rest  I  lawoke  and  he  was  yet  search- 
ing, asserting,  "  It  is  in  the  Book,  but  I  can't  find  it." 
I  felt  I  must  confound  him  so  I  said,  "  I  have  a  co- 
nundrum for  you :  "  What  is  wetter  than  a  woman 
with  a  waterfall  on  her  head,  a  cataract  in  her  eye,  a 
crick  in  her  back,  and  forty  springs  in  her  bustle? 
A  man  with  a  notion  (an  ocean)  in  his  head."  This 
silenced  him,  though  homely  the  rebuke. 


CHAPTER   XX 

I  HELD  five  meetings  at  Highland  with  good  inter- 
est, then  returned  to  my  pastorate  at  Raisin  Cen- 
ter, Michigan,  and  was  closely  engaged  during  the 
summer  and  autumn,  having  the  farm  and  flock  to 
look  after,  finding  it  beneficial  often  to  be  occupied 
in  material  things  as  well  as  spiritual  things,  one  of 
the  essentials  to  nerve,  strength  and  endurance. 

In  the  autumn  of  1892  I  was  invited  to  come  to 
Bangor,  Iowa,  for  a  series  of  meetings,  Isom  Wooten 
being  general  superintendent  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meet- 
ing at  that  time.  There  were  at  Bangor  two  or 
three  families  that  had  removed  from  Selma,  Ohio, 
since  my  three  years'  pastorate  there,  who  were  es- 
pecially desirous  for  my  services,  and  made  request 
to  Isom  Wooten  to  secure  me.  He  had  heard  that 
I  had  been  baptized  with  water,  and  said  if  that  be  true 
he  could  not  favor  it.  Then  came  to  me  from  the 
Friends  at  Bangor  the  positive  question  to  be  an- 
swered, yes  or  no.  I  immediately  replied,  "  No." 
Then  came  a  personal  invitation  from  Isom  Wooten 
to  come,  and  he  would  give  me  large  opportunity. 
Reaching  the  field,  believing  it  to  be  a  field  of  the 
Lord's   opening,    I    felt   courageous    for   the   work. 

115 


ii6         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

There  was  a  good  interest,  and  I  gave  the  messages 
of  an  uttermost  salvation  through  the  death  of  Jesus 
on  the  cross.  He  gave  not  only  the  life  that  He 
lived,  excellent  as  that  was.  It  was  the  blood  that 
was  shed  that  made  it  possible  for  sins  to  be  re- 
mitted. With  the  emphasis  here,  the  message  tells 
for  conviction.  Definite  results  followed  in  conver- 
sion and  sanctification.  One  instance,  that  of  a 
young  lady  teacher,  is  worthy  of  notice.  Convicted 
of  her  personal  need  of  deliverance  from  the  carnal 
nature,  she  found  her  way  to  an  altar.  In  conver- 
sation with  her,  finding  her  doubtful  how  to  pro- 
ceed, I  opened  my  Bible  and  showed  her  the  first 
leaf,  one  side  of  which  completely  mixed  with  vary- 
ing colors,  from  black  to  white,  I  said,  ''  Sister,  one 
side  of  this  leaf  represents  the  carnal  nature ;  the 
other,  white,  signifies  the  cleansing  from  all  sin.  To 
get  this,  make  your  personal,  vocal  request  to  God 
for  cleansing  by  virtue  of  the  shed  blood,  and  he 
will  honor  your  personal  faith,  and  confirm  it  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  give  you  a  clean  heart,  and  put  in 
you  the  spirit  of  obedience,  and  give  Him  the  privi- 
lege of  making  your  future  history  as  you  follow 
Him."  She  grasped  the  opportunity,  sued  for  cleans- 
ing, made  complete  consecration,  both  of  the  known 
and  the  unknown,  and  found  victory,  of  which  her 
after  life  gave  the  assurance. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  117 

After  a  ten  days'  service  came  Monthly  Meeting, 
and  just  after  I  began  speaking  on  the  need  of  pur- 
ity, a  stranger  entered  the  door  and  came  forward, 
who  was  afterward  introduced  as  the  Quarterly 
Meeting  superintendent,  EUwood  Knight.  We  were 
invited  to  dinner  at  Pearce  HoUingsworth's,  the  re- 
sult of  which  was  an  urgent  request  to  go  to  Hart- 
land  on  closing  at  Bangor  for  a  series  of  meet- 
ings, Ellwood  Knight  being  pastor  of  that  meeting. 
In  one  session  my  message  was  on  the  subject  of 
prayer,  remarking  that  all  the  records  of  prayer  in 
the  Bible  were  given  in  words  spoken,  even  that  of 
Hannah  was  whispered,  and  what  the  church  and 
the  individual  needed  was  more  vocal  prayer,  rather 
than  rest  so  much  on  silent  prayer.  Jesus  said, 
*'  When  ye  pray,  say."  This  drew  out  some  excep- 
tions, and  I  could  only  say  the  sinner  is  taught  to 
say,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,"  his  beginning 
place,  and  afterward  to  pray  without  ceasing. 

In  more  than  one  instance  Jesus  taught  prayer. 
**A\'enge  me  of  mine  adversary,"  *'  Give  me  three 
loaves."  Tliey  could  not  be  silent.  The  result  of 
the  message  was  much  tenderness,  and  more  prayer 
and  personal  blessing. 

As  requested,  I  went  to  Hartland  next.  There 
was  an  academy  and  a  large  number  of  young  peo- 
ple.   There  were  the  Pembertons,  Kirbys,  Knights, 


ii8  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  JVork 

Tabers.  and  others.  The  church  was  in  good  con- 
dition for  a  revival  from  the  first,  and  the  congre- 
gation good,  though  the  roads  were  muddy.  I  had 
good  liberty  in  preaching,  and  the  young  people 
were  very  attentive,  and  the  larger  part  of  the  un- 
converted were  greatly  helped  by  the  faithful  young 
Christians.  Among  those  converted  were  the  three 
children  of  the  Kirby  family.  William  Kirby,  now 
a  ver\'  able  minister  and  Bible  student,  then  nine 
years  of  age,  confided  to  me  in  the  family  home  the 
fact  of  his  call  to  be  a  minister,  and  his  determina- 
tion, with  God's  help,  to  make  that  the  choice  for 
his  life  work.  One  has  only  to  come  in  contact  with 
him,  and  hear  him.  to  find  an  able  minister  of  the 
blood  of  the  covenant.  Hartland  is  a  spring  spot  in 
my  work. 

One  year  later  the  church  called  for  me 
again  for  another  series  of  meetings,  to  which  I  re- 
sponded. Again  the  Lord  greatly  blessed  us.  After 
two  weeks  of  earnest  effort,  the  results  of  which 
can  not  be  estimated,  we  were  about  to  close,  when 
a  young  man.  son  of  a  rich  father,  who  loved  the 
dance  and  card  table,  who  had  attended  nearly  all 
ihe  meetings,  arose  voluntarily  and  made  his  way 
lo  the  stove,  took  out  three  packs  of  cards  and  put 
them  into  the  stove,  then  hurried  to  the  altar,  broken- 
hearted and  prayed  through.     This  had  such  an  in- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  119 

fluence  on  his  backslidden  father  that  he  was  re- 
newed and  made  fresh  vows  for  obedience.  Dur- 
ing this  service  I  became  fully  convinced  of  the  ef- 
ficient pastoral  service  of  Ellwood  Knight,  now 
pastor  of  a  meeting  of  Nebraska  Yearly  Meeting. 

From  Hartland  I  went  to  Albion  and  held  a  few 
meetings :  also  attended  three  meetings  held  in 
Friends  church  for  the  uncovering  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  Masonry,  manner  of  initiation,  horrid  oaths 
and  practices,  the  whole  of  which  revealed  the  tap 
root  of  selfishness  and  cast.  Pliny  Fry  was  pastor 
at  Albion,  a  person  possessed  of  large  personality  in 
thought  and  action.  From  Albion  to  Minneapolis 
next,  arriving  Sixthday  evening,  entertained  at  a  Mr. 
\\'ilson's.  I  attended  Friends  church  on  Sabbath 
morning  and  in  the  evening  the  mission  church  on 
the  west  side,  of  which  James  Pinkham  had  charge. 
They  had  no  pastor  at  that  time.  Dr.  Stuart  was 
one  of  the  local  ministers.  Julius  Mendenhall,  a 
noted  florist,  took  me  to  his  palatial  home,  where  I 
remained  to  rest  a  little.  Hesper.  Iowa,  was  the 
next  field  of  operation.  ^lany  of  the  pioneers  of 
that  meeting  came  from  Adrian  Quarterly  Meeting, 
Michigan,  so  I  found  many  old  acquaintances  of 
other  days.  Was  entertained  at  William  Westgate's. 
a  minister  recorded  by  Raisin  Monthly  Meeting, 
Michigan,  before  his  removal  to  Hesper.     I  found 


I20         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

here  a  people  hungry  for  the  full  gospel,  and  for  one 
week,  night  and  day,  I  was  favored  to  preach  the 
Word,  with  Divine  anointing,  and  the  church  was 
signally  blessed  in  fresh  uplifts.  From  Hesper  I  re- 
turned home,  having  the  abiding  assurance  of  the 
Lord's  keeping  and  making  me  a  blessing. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

MY  ATTENDANCE  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 
at  different  times  opened  the  way  for  other 
service  at  New  Sharon,  where  I  held  two  series  of 
meetings,  with  large  congregations,  Joseph  Sopher 
being  the  evangelistic  superintendent.  Another 
series  was  held  at  Bloomfield,  about  eight  miles  from 
Oskaloosa.  William  Sopher  and  J.  Morris  Lemmon 
were  the  local  ministers.  Here  were  several  rela- 
tives of  John  Y.  Hoover,  quite  prominent  factors  in 
the  local  meeting.  Here  we  met  with  some  opposi- 
tion to  holiness  as  an  experience,  but  truth  prevailed 
and  the  array  of  Spiritual  testimony  brought  out 
through  the  messages  of  full  salvation,  gave  us  the 
victory.  In  these  services  my  wife's  presence,  and 
the  quietness  of  her  spirit  carried  great  weight  on 
the  side  of  Christ. 

Now  nearing  three  score  and  ten,  with  constant, 
continued  effort,  under  a  burden  for  souls,  the  mir- 
ror revealed  fast  fading  locks  under  long  mental 
strain,  and  seeking  the  further  will  of  the  Lord.  He 
whispered,  "Canst  thou  now  walk  and  not  faint? 
Thou  has  been  on  wings  like  the  eagle  and  hast  run 

121 


122  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

and  not  been  weary — slow  down  and  not  faint." 
Since  1893  I  have  not  so  largely  engaged  in  revival 
work,  but  have  itinerated,  believing  my  age  and  ex- 
perience had  disciplined  me  for  more  direct  service 
for  the  Friends  Church,  especially  for  the  encour- 
agement of  the  young. 

Soon  after  my  return  from  Iowa,  the  Friends  of 
RoUin,  Michigan,  through  a  worthy  Elder,  John  T. 
Comstock,  extended  to  me  a  call  to  be  with  them  every 
other  Sabbath,  and  I  responded.  This  meeting  was 
twenty-one  miles  from  my  home,  requiring  five 
hours'  ride  to  reach.  But  this  tour  gave  me  fresh 
time  for  meditation,  and  a  sermon  could  grow  into 
life,  to  be  given  fresh  and  new-born.  Sometimes 
this  journey  was  made  Saturday  afternoon,  some- 
times Sabbath  morning.  How  well  I  remember  a 
journey  on  Saturday  afternoon  in  October.  On 
nearing  the  little  town  of  Rome  Center,  a  sudden 
flash  of  lightning  and  deafening  thunder  came  as  a 
surprise,  accompanied  with  thick  falling  of  hail 
stones.  Suddenly  my  horse  became  restive,  holes 
were  made  in  the  buggy  top.  It  was  time  to  flee  for 
refuge,  and  an  open  shed  was  reached  in  safety. 
"Hast  thou  seen  the  treasures  of  hail,  Avhich  I  have 
reserved  against  the  time  of  trouble,  against  the  day 
of  battle  and  war?" — Job  38:22-23.  Severe  measures 
to  send  one  to  shelter.    Rollin  is  where,  long  before. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  123 

I  had  made  my  public  consecration  of  myself  and 
family,  and  where  I  first  learned  of  my  mother's 
consecration  of  her  first-born  son,  when  an  infant, 
to  the  Lord  for  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  to  be 
committed  to  me. 

One  Sabbath  afternoon  I  was  asked  to  preach  in 
a  grove  near  Rollin,  and  took  for  my  subject  the 
"  New  Birth,"  endeavoring  to  treat  it  from  both  a 
Scriptural  and  experimental  standpoint,  and  enlarg- 
ing on  the  practical  necessity  and  advantages  of 
this  miraculous  work  of  Omnipotence  in  regenera- 
tion, both  for  time  and  eternity,  but  never  wrought 
except  by  virture  of  the  blood  of  the  covenant  and 
personal  faith  toward  God  for  pardon  and  justifica- 
tion, witnessed  to  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  after  which 
one  is  really  an  adopted  child  of  the  Father's  fam- 
ily, emphasizing  the  fact  of  Jesus  teaching  to  Nico- 
demus  that  there  was  a  "  must ''  of  God  in  the  gift 
of  his  son,  to  precede  first  in  order  to  reach  the 
*'  must  "  of  man,  for  the  birth  from  above.  There 
was  a  manifest  covering  of  solemnity  over  the  audi- 
ence, and  at  the  close  of  the  service  a  hand  beckoned 
me  for  consultation.  A  physician  and  his  wife  had 
listened  from  their  carriage,  and  approaching  him 
he  grasped  my  hand,  exclaiming,  "  Your  message 
reached  my  heart ;  it  was  Godsent.  I  have  been  de- 
luded  with   the   false   philosophy   of  the   mutilated 


124         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

messages  of  man-made  salvation  by  works,  denying 
the  Lord  that  brought  me.  You  have  cleared  away 
the  blinding  force  of  unbelief,  and  I  accept  Jesus  as 
my  Saviour."  Here  was  the  confirmation  that  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  does  not  return  unto  Him  void, 
but  does  accomplish  that  whereto  He  sends  it.  The 
six  months'  services  at  Rollin  proved  a  blessing  to 
us  all  and  was  owned  of  God. 

Here  I  am  reminded  of  another  grove  meeting, 
at  Upland,  Indiana,  several  years  previous  to  the 
above.  A  notice  of  a  meeting  in  a  grove,  published 
in  the  Christian  Worker,  then  a  Friends  publication, 
at  New  Vienna,  Ohio,  caught  my  notice,  and  I  said 
to  my  wife,  ''  I  feel  like  the  Lord  would  have  me  at- 
tend it."  Accordingly  I  took  the  train  in  August 
and  reached  Hartford  City  at  midnight,  five  miles 
from  Upland,  going  to  a  hotel  for  rest.  In  the 
morning  I  found  I  could  get  no  train  till  late  in  the 
afternoon,  too  late  for  the  opening  of  the  grove 
meeting,  so  I  took  to  my  feet  up  the  track  with  my 
heavy  grip  in  hand.  The  weather  was  intensely 
warm,  and  I  reached  the  grove  just  at  the  time  for 
the  meeting  to  open.  There  was  just  one  man  that 
I  had  met  before,  David  Walthall.  He  at  once  di- 
rected me  to  the  stand  and  introduced  me  to  the 
audience.  After  the  first  session  I  was  put  in  charge. 
During  the  night  following  I  had  a  severe  attack  of 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  125 

summer  complaint,  threatening  to  disqualify  me  for 
further  service.  In  this  extremity  I  felt  clear  to  call 
on  the  Lord  for  healing,  and  made  supplication  in 
definite  plea  for  healing,  which  came  in  answer  to 
the  prayer  of  faith.  The  result  was,  I  was  able  for 
work  to  the  close.  This  was  one  of  the  factors  in 
the  establishing  of  a  Friends  meeting  at  Upland. 
Those  were  the  days  when  oftentimes  workers  re- 
ceived little  or  no  financial  aid;  the  latter  was  my 
experience.  That  contribution  of  my  service  was 
free  gospel  work,  except  railroad  fare,  to  the  amount 
of  $15,  which  I  paid  for  the  privilege  of  preaching 
in  Upland. 

Imagine  my  surprise,  when  twenty-seven  years 
afterward  a  postal  came  one  day  asking  for  my  ad- 
dress, saying,  ''  I  have  seen  thy  name  in  the  Friends 
papers,  and  wish  to  know  where  to  address  thee." 
I  at  once  gave  the  information,  without  knowing 
what  it  meant.  Two  weeks  later  came  a  letter,  and 
on  opening  it  I  found  a  ten  dollar  bill,  with  this 
statement:  "Thee  may  remember  thy  attendance  of 
a  grove  meeting  at  Upland  twenty-seven  years  ago. 
It  was  my  privilege  to  attend  that  meeting,  and  I  felt 
prompted  at  the  time  to  give  thee  five  dollars,  but 
did  not  do  it,  and  have  felt  condemned  whenever  I 
have  seen  thy  name  mentioned.  Enclosed  find  ten 
dollars ;  use  it  for  thy  family  need  or  for  the  Lord's 


126  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

work."  This  surprise  came  just  as  I  was  about  to 
leave  my  home  on  a  gospel  errand,  and  I  sent  a  let- 
ter of  grateful  thanks  to  the  donor,  commending 
him  to  the  obedience  of  the  promptings  of  the  Spirit. 
It  has  not  been  my  privilege  again  to  meet  the  donor 
nor  visit  Upland  again.  I  have  a  drawing  that  way, 
if  in  the  good  providence  of  God  I  may  find  it  right. 
Surely  goodness  and  mercy  have  and  shall  follow 
me  all  the  days  of  my  life,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  forever. 


CHAPTER    XXll 

PREVIOUS  to  June,  1893,  I  had  secured  board 
and  entertainment  through  WiUiam  Wooten,  of 
Chicago,  for  ten  days,  for  five  persons,  viz. :  Jacob 
Baker  and  wife,  their  daughters,  Clara  E.  Baker  and 
Florence  E.  Porter;  also  her  husband,  Ezra  H.  Por- 
ter, with  the  prospect  of  attending  the  World's  Fair. 
As  will  be  remembered,  William  Wooten  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  many  Friends  would  need  a 
commodious  and  congenial  home  while  attending 
that  great  exposition,  the  great  purpose  of  which 
was  to  celebrate  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of 
the  discovery  of  the  western  continent,  as  well  as 
the  march  of  civilization  and  progress.  Accord- 
ingly, he  had  erected  an  edifice  for  that  purpose,  and 
though  not  entirely  completed  when  we  arrived  on 
June  10,  we  were  alloted  rooms  where  sound  sleep 
and  bodily  necessities  were  provided  for,  the  keen 
demands  of  tired  heads,  strained  eyes  and  weary 
feet.  We  were  twelve  miles  from  the  fair  grounds, 
going  and  returning  daily  on  the  Illinois  Central 
suburban  trains.  My  first  visit  to  Chicago  was  in 
December,   1853,  and  now  after  forty  years  to  be 

127 


128  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

permitted  to  view  the  world's  progress  in  material 
things,  I  deemed  but  a  permissive  Providence  that 
might  be  to  His  glory.  To  walk  daily  among  the 
people  of  many  lands,  and  the  product  of  all  zones, 
the  images  that  told  that  all  people  feel  the  abso- 
lute need  of  some  kind  of  a  God  was  indeed  a  les- 
son w^orthy  of  note,  and  to  a  thoughtful  mind  it 
might  foster  the  necessity  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
one  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ.  Oh,  how  many 
human  beings  have  been  used  by  God,  so  much  bet- 
ter than  they  knew.  When  Columbus  planted  the 
cross  on  the  little  island  of  the  western  hemisphere, 
he  little  knew  what  four  hundred  years  would  de- 
velop, and  yet  the  earth  had  been  a  globe  all  the 
preceding  centuries,  but  unyielding  perseverance 
made  the  discovery,  and  when  one  walked  day  after 
day  among  the  products  of  the  marvelous  applica- 
tion of  the  material  ready  at  hand,  for  every  human 
need  in  the  realm  of  nature,  and  then  beyond  and 
infinitely  above  in  the  spiritual  realm,  how  fitting 
to  have  discovered  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yester- 
day, today,  and  forever,  and  through  Him  the  ma- 
terial for  the  manufacture  of  a  human  saint.  As 
you  walked  through  this  earthly  ''  White  City  "  of 
Chicago  you  could  muse  upon  the  city  that  is  to 
come,  where  even  the  people  are  clothed  in  white, 
for  they  are  worthy;    then  what  a  Divine  display 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  129 

of  divine  beauty.  In  Chicago  the  receipts  were  in- 
adequate to  meet  the  outlay.  In  the  city  that  is  to 
come  you  can  enter  in  through  the  gates,  the  en- 
trance fee  having  been  paid  by  another  in  advance. 
I  felt  we  were  not  there  for  what  sight  revealed,  but 
to  draw  spiritual  lessons  from  life's  work  and  the 
Master's  use  in  the  years  to  come.  The  mammoth 
enterprise  of  bringing  together  the  world's  products, 
and  representatives  of  so  many  classes  of  humanity, 
surely  gave  the  opportunity  for  great  study  of  God's 
resources,  from  which  man  the  creature  has  the 
privilege  to  draw. 

How  much  the  significance.  The  earth  is  the 
Lord's  and  fulness  thereof.  Each  division  of  the  hu- 
man race  with  its  peculiar  characteristics  had  its 
own  distinctive  features.  The  cliff  dwellers,  their 
strange  idea  of  a  home,  the  Mound  Builders,  a 
strange  industry, — every  shade  of  complexion,  from 
the  jet  black  to  the  snowy  white,  from  many  lands 
told  the  sublime  lesson,  "  In  wisdom  hast  Thou  made 
them  all."  The  forestry  with  distinct  identity  of  the 
marvelous  varieties  of  tree  and  shrub,  fruits  in  per- 
fection, flowers  in  their  beauty,  birds  of  splendid 
plumage,  fish  from  the  salt  sea  and  the  fresh  inland 
lake.  God's  wonders  of  the  deep,  grains  of  wheat 
and  other  grain,  each  in  its  own  body  that  God 
planned   for   it.      Truly    Ecclesiastes    the    Preacher 


10 


130         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

might  well  say,  ''AH  things  are  full  of  honor,  man 
can  not  utter  it,  the  eye  is  not  satisfied  with  seeing, 
nor  the  ear  filled  with  hearing."  Oh,  no,  back  of 
seeing  and  hearing  is  the  Designer  who  would  have 
us  satisfied  and  filled  with  Him  who  built  all  things. 
My  readers  may  ask  why  have  I  not  written  more 
in  detail  of  that  which  was  on  exhibition.  I  can 
only  reply,  the  things  that  are  seen  are  temporal — 
the  things  that  are  not  seen  are  eternal.  Those  ten 
days  were  days  hard  on  the  body  but  great  in  the 
comprehension  of  God's  designs  in  the  material 
world,  and  an  object  lesson  of  His  beneficient  hand 
in  making  provision  for  the  capabilities  of  His 
noblest  creation — man — putting  him  in  charge  of 
the  Eden  He  had  made. 

Before  returning  we  visited  the  stock  yards  and 
Lincoln  Park  and  a  few  other  places  of  interest.  It 
was  indeed  a  special  delight  to  have  our  family 
share  in  this  tour  of  inspection.  Once  more  at  the 
one  center  of  activities  (the  family  home)  we  had  a 
fund  for  thought  for  the  remainder  of  life's  journey. 

My  gospel  service  now  turned  with  interest  to  the 
city  of  Adrian.  It  had  been  my  privilege  to  be  well 
informed  of  its  history.  The  territory  on  which 
the  city  is  built  was  purchased  from  the  government 
by  Addison  J.  Comstock,  son  of  Darius  Comstock,  a 
pioneer  Friend  of  Raisin  Valley.     The  son  became 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  131 

a  prosperous  business  man,  and  it  seems  likely  if 
Friends  at  that  time  had  been  as  earnest  for  church 
extension  as  the  case  demanded,  there  would  have 
been  an  organized  Friends  church  there  at  an  early 
day,  but  this  was  not  the  case.  A.  J.  Comstock, 
after  a  number  of  years,  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  As  the  city  grew,  several  members 
of  Friends  settled  in  the  city.  About  1890,  D.  B. 
Updegrafif,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Ohio,  held  a  short  series 
of  meetings  in  the  Methodist  church  in  the  city. 
This  earnest  herald  of  the  cross  made  deep  impres- 
sions on  many  souls,  and  quite  a  number  were 
brought  into  better  experience,  among  them  Loren 
G.  Bird,  a  Methodist  class  leader;  Major  J.  H.  Cole, 
a  noted  evangelist;  James  Berry,  large  lumber  mer- 
chant; Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  M.  Cole,  and  several  others. 
These  made  a  demand  and  opened  the  way  for  me  to 
hold  some  meetings,  on  Sabbath  afternoon,  some- 
times in  a  cottage,  or  J.  Berry's  lumber  office,  and 
later  in  the  Protestant  Methodist  Chapel,  where  we 
had  many  blessed  seasons  of  refreshing.  We  had 
yet  no  organized  church.  Later,  L.  L.  Cushing  of- 
fered his  residence  for  meetings,  and  I  was  asked 
to  take  charge,  which  I  did,  and  the  interest  grew. 
The  Friends  asked  me  to  serve  them  as  pastor,  with 
regular  Sabbath  service.  This  resulted  in  the  estab- 
lishing of  a  Monthly  Meeting.    Three  years  of  pas- 


132  I  field  cuts  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

toral  work  found  a  membership  of  about  sixty.  I 
have  not  given  dates,  not  having  the  correct  data  at 
hand.  After  three  years'  residence  in  the  city  we 
returned  to  the  farm  at  Raisin  Center  to  occupy  our 
long-cherished  home. 

The  Lord's  sustaining  grace  has  been  equal  to  the 
daily  need,  and  to  Him  belongs  the  honor. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

AT  OHIO  Yearly  fleeting  in  1895,  my  wife  and 
ly.  myself  were  appointed  delegates  to  attend  the 

opening  of  California  Yearly  Meeting,  to  take  place 
in  March,  1896.  On  February  5  we  left  Raisin  Cen- 
ter, the  mercury  being  sixteen  degrees  below  zero. 
our  route  being  over  the  \\'abash  Railroad  to  Kan- 
sas City,  then  via  the  Santa  Fee.  C)n  reaching  Kansas 
City  at  9  a.  m.  next  day  it  was  quite  moderate.  Our 
train  was  to  leave  there  at  2  p.  m.  While  waiting, 
the  weather  bulletin  indicated  the  approach  of  a  cold 
wave.  Before  reaching  Topeka,  a  severe  blizzard 
struck  us  with  a  strong  wind  and  extremely  cold, 
accompanied  with  very  little  snow.  Our  coach  had 
a  good  stove  in  each  end,  but  it  was  impossible  to 
keep  warm.  At  Topeka  they  gave  us  a  new  coach, 
but  even  then  within  one  seat  of  the  stove  we  suf- 
fered. \Ve  had  planned  to  stop  off  a  few  days  at 
Emporia  and  had  written  our  friends  to  meet  us  on 
the  arrival  of  our  train  at  6  p.  m.,  but  being  two 
hours  late  we  found  no  one.  so  went  across  the  street 
to  a  hotel  for  the  night.  X'ext  morning  was  clear 
with  the  mercury  fifteen  degrees  below  zero.    I  went 

133 


134         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

up  town  and  found  our  friends,  who  failed  to  get  our 
postal.  We  soon  learned  they  were  arranging  to 
go  to  California  for  a  home.  These  were  Oliver  and 
Margaret  Smith,  who  were  our  staunch  friends  at 
Selma,  Ohio,  many  years  before.  We  remained  at 
Emporia  till  the  next  Monday  evening,  holding  a 
few  meetings,  doing  some  family  visiting  and  re- 
newing old  acquaintances,  for  I  had  held  two  series 
of  successful  meetings  there  several  years  before. 
We  had  secured  a  berth  in  a  tourist  car,  and  on 
boarding  the  train  were  soon  conducted  to  our  apart- 
ments, and  were  very  comfortably  provided  for. 

Again  that  night  another  cold  wave  came  down 
from  the  Rockies,  and  when  we  reached  La  Junta 
at  10  a.  m.  next  day,  the  thermometer  was  twenty 
degrees  below  zero.  All  through  Colorado  we  were 
moving  in  the  teeth  of  the  wintry  blast.  At  La 
Junta  four  hoboes,  lodging  in  a  box  car,  were  found 
frozen  to  death  in  the  morning.  Reaching  Albu- 
querque, New  Mexico,  at  midnight,  snow  was  fall- 
ing fast.  Striking  what  was  called  when  I  was  a 
school  boy,  ''The  Great  American  Desert,"  a  new 
comprehension  of  what  a  real  desert  means  came  to 
us.  A  treeless,  plantless  waste,  neither  bird,  beast 
nor  man  for  a  thousand  miles,  interspersed  with  lava 
beds.  No  inhabitants  save  a  family  or  two,  at  the 
railroad  stations. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  135 

On  reaching  Arizona  we  passed  though  belts  of 
timber  and  some  fertile  soil.  We  did  not  forget  the 
warning  the  trainmen  gave  us  as  we  neared  Flag- 
staff, to  look  well  to  our  baggage,  for  this  place  is 
infested  with  thieves.  A  trainman  stood  at  each 
end  of  the  coach  to  guard  us,  but  no  harm  came.  A 
devil's  canyon,  the  Needles,  and  the  rocky  backbone 
of  North  America,  to  new  tourists  was  constantly 
enlisting  attention.  Eastern  California,  half  desert, 
only  gave  a  few  scattering  palms,  and  the  bunches 
of  cactus,  so  closely  woven  together  that  there  was 
little  of  the  beautiful  to  enchant  the  eye.  On  ar- 
riving at  Barstow  Junction,  on  Thursday  noon,  the 
thermometer  registered  sixty  above.  Passing  down 
the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas  we  arrived 
at  San  Bernardino  at  2  p.  m.,  and  here  we  discovered 
some  green  grass,  for  the  first  a  scene  very  refresh- 
ing, and  soon  came  our  first  sight  of  the  orange 
groves.  To  one  who  has  never  beheld  an  orange 
grove  the  scene  tells  of  indescribable  beauty.  While 
passing  through  "  Lucky  "  Baldwin's  ranch  the  con- 
ductor picked  some  and  gave  them  to  us.  Live  oaks 
and  English  walnut  orchards  abound  in  this  valley. 

Arriving  at  Pasadena  at  6  p.  m.  Thursday,  we  were 
met  at  the  depot  by  Charles  Tebbetts  and  conducted 
to  a  Friend,  a  Mr.  Woods,  where  we  were  ready  for 
a  night's  rest.     Supper  being  over  we  were  invited 


136         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

out  on  the  lawn,  amid  hedgerows  of  calla  lilies  and 
gold  of  Opher  roses  in  full  bloom,  a  pleasant  and 
wide  contrast  with  what  we  had  when  ten  days  ago 
we  left  our  home.  We  had  seen  old  Baldy,  the  snow- 
capped mountain,  on  every  side  of  us  since  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  were  now  at  the  foot- 
hills of  Mount  Lowe  and  Mount  Wilson.  Pasadena 
being  largely  a  residence  city,  situated  in  the  valley, 
is  a  most  delightful  town,  nine  miles  from  Los  An- 
geles. Before  retiring  we  were  informed  that  a  new 
Quarterly  Meeting  was  to  be  set  up  at  Whittier,  and 
the  meeting  for  Ministry  and  Oversight  was  next 
day  at  10  a.  m.  So  we  went  there  and  had  our  en- 
tertainment at  William  K.  Green's,  whose  wife  was 
a  cousin  of  my  wife.  This  became  our  headquarters 
while  in  California.  Whittier  Quarterly  Meeting 
being  over,  John  Henry  Douglas  invited  me  to  join 
him  in  a  few  days'  meeting  in  Whittier,  which  I  did, 
up  to  Friday.  The  next  week  Pasadena  Quarterly 
Meeting  came,  which  we  attended,  a  large  and  spir- 
itual gathering. 

After  a  few  days'  rest,  and  some  family  visits,  we 
went  in  company  with  Mrs.  William  K.  Green  to 
Redlands,  about  sixty  miles  up  the  valley.  William 
Green's  only  son  lived  there,  and  the  Van  Wyck 
Underwood  family,  who  came  from  Michigan,  and 
were  members  of  Adrian  Quarterly  Meeting.     We 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  137 

were  conducted  about  the  city  and  surrounding 
country,  where  some  of  the  most  fruitful  orange 
groves  are  situated.  Among  the  most  deHghtful 
spots  was  the  "  Smiley  Heights,"  a  high  tableland 
to  the  south  of  Redlands,  which  overlooks  the  city. 
The  twin  Smiley  brothers  had  procured  eighty  acres 
four  years  before  and  improved  it  with  a  view  to 
making  it  their  winter  quarters.  Their  summer  res- 
idence was  in  New  York.  Now  after  four  years  they 
had  a  complete  landscape  garden,  with  winding 
driveways,  and  pools,  rustic  rest  chairs,  trees  of 
every  species  from  many  lands,  orange  groves,  now 
well  in  bearing,  and  two  stately  mansions.  One  of 
them  has  since  died ;  the  other,  Albert,  has  his  home 
at  Lake  Mohawk,  New  York,  the  proprietor  of  an 
extensive  hotel,  and  an  earnest  advocate  of  universal 
peace. 

Returning  to  Whittier  after  a  few  days'  rest,  we 
were  invited  to  Philip  Chase's,  at  Los  Angeles,  (an 
old  acquaintance  at  Adrian)  who  had  a  ranch  ten 
miles  out.  While  there  I  was  invited  to  preach  at 
Penial  Hall,  and  at  a  Baptist  church,  which  I  did. 
At  the  former  place  a  man  came,  voluntarily,  to  the 
altar  and  was  saved.  While  there  we  took  a  trip  to 
Santa  Monica,  on  the  sea  shore,  a  town  of  two  thou- 
sand, beautifully  situated.  Also  visited  the  Soldiers' 
Home. 


138  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

On  returning  to  Los  Angeles,  we  visited  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Citrus  Fair.  The 
former  had  on  exhibition  the  best  specimens  of  veg- 
etables, grains,  raisin  grapes,  some  clusters  eighteen 
inches  long.  The  Citrus  Fair  was  the  united  show 
of  four  counties,  of  semi-tropical  fruits,  such  as 
oranges,  lemons,  grape  fruit,  apricots,  figs,  olives 
and  various  other  varieties.  W^hile  my  wife  and  I 
were  examining  this  extensive  and  beautifully  ar- 
ranged display,  a  gentleman  accosted  me  with  the 
inquiry,  "  Isn't  this  Brother  Baker?  "  I  said,  "  Yes." 
"Well,"  he  said,  "T  heard  you  preach  at  the  Friends 
Quarterly  Meeting  in  Pasadena  and  also  at  the  Free 
Methodist  Church.  I  am  a  retired  Baptist  minister, 
but  I  wanted  to  tell  you  I  have  not  heard  so  much 
real  gospel  in  forty  years." 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

RETURNING  from  Los  Angeles  to  Whittier, 
after  a  few  days'  rest,  we  visited  Elmodena, 
being  there  over  the  Sabbath.  This  Httle  hamlet, 
situated  at  the  foothills  in  the  valley,  with  artificial 
water  courses  for  irrigation,  is  a  very  fruitful  field. 
The  meeting  at  that  time  seemed  weak,  both  in  num- 
bers and  spiritual  freedom,  John  Bond,  a  minister  of 
considerable  ability,  escorted  us  about.  On  Sab- 
bath evening  he  took  us  to  Villa  Park,  where  in  the 
midst  of  orange,  olive  and  lemon  orchards  sat  a  cozy 
house  of  worship.  I  think  a  mission  station  for  gen- 
eral gospel  services  where  Friends  had  some  share 
in  the  work.  There  was  a  good  audience  and  a  very 
good  meeting. 

While  there,  seeing  at  the  top  of  one  of  the  ad- 
jacent hills  a  half-mile  in  height,  a  flagstaff  from 
which  trembling  in  the  breeze,  was  the  '*  Star 
Spangled  Banner,"  otherwise  "  Old  Glory,"  I  be- 
came ambitious  of  scaling  its  height  and  viewing  the 
landscape  from  center  to  the  sea.  A  curious  eye 
from  the  valley  might  have  discovered  a  lone  figure 
on  the  upward  way  over  a  devious  pathway,  slowly 

139 


140  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

plodding  through  a  stony  and  thorny  trackless  stair- 
way to  its  highest  height,  weary  but  victorious. 
There  to  take  from  the  center  all  around  to  the  sea 
the  enchanting  scene.  Now  come  the  vast  and  varied 
beauties  of  land  and  sea,  amply  rewarding-  the  effort 
of  wholesome  ambition. 

Our  next  point  was  Alamitos,  where  was  a  live 
body  of  Friends,  of  whom  Ella  C.  Veeder  was  pas- 
tor. Aunt  Susan  Becket  and  her  crippled  husband, 
John,  royally  entertained  us,  very  real  Christians. 
Oh,  how  precious  it  is  to  enter  a  hospitable  home 
in  a  strange  land !  We  were  there  several  days  en- 
joying their  meeting  land  Sunday  school  and  taking 
an  eight-mile  trip  to  the  seashore  in  company  with 
a  number  of  others,  partaking  of  a  picnic  dinner 
under  the  sound  of  the  restless  ocean  waves.  On 
our  return  we  saw  a  lone  shepherd  and  his  dog  with 
his  three  thousand  sheep  feeding  on  the  plains ;  and 
the  fold  where  they  were  herded  for  the  night ;  and 
this  the  sole  occupation  for  ten  months  of  the  year, 
giving  his  life  for  the  sheep.  The  next  move  was 
across  the  country.  I  think  about  22  miles  enroute 
to  Long  Beach,  on  a  Sabbath  afternoon.  It  v/as 
now  sheep-shearing  time,  and  as  the  custom  was, 
the  Indians  were  at  their  shearing  and  packing,  the 
latter  done  by  hanging  a  very  long  sack  fastened  to 
poles  at  the  top,  thrusting  in  the  wool  and  then  a 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  141 

barefooted  Indian  after  it  to  tread  and  pack  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  Further  on  we  passed  through  ten 
thousand  acres  of  barley  all  out  in  head  (about 
March  20),  with  no  regular  highway  except  the 
winding  roadway,  fenceless,  and  to  sight,  boundless. 
Reaching  Long  Beach  near  sunset,  we  were  enter- 
tained at  a  Mr.  Wilson's.  Mary  Brown  was  pastor 
here.  Announcement  had  been  given  that  I  would 
be  at  Friends  meeting  that  evening. 

The  house  was  full,  and  I  had  good  liberty  in 
preaching,  the  subject  being  '*  The  Fullness  of  Sal- 
vation." When  I  closed,  immediately  a  man  back  in 
the  congregation,  apparently  fifty  years  of  age, 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  made  his  way  to  the  platform 
and  seized  me  by  the  hand  and  exclaimed :  "  Thank 
God  for  a  man  that  has  courage  enough  to  preach 
the  truth."  We  had  an  interview  with  him  next 
day.  We  had  several  days  here  and  greatly  enjoyed 
the  hard,  level  driveway  for  miles  at  the  water's 
edge.  Here  we  met  Dr.  Stuart,  of  Minneapolis,  a 
Friend  minister,  who  was  spending  the  winter  at  the 
coast. 

San  Pedro  is  one  of  the  most  noted  harbors  on 
the  Pacific,  lying  a  short  distance  away ;  we  planned, 
in  company  with  Dr.  Stuart,  to  spend  a  day  at  that 
place,  gathering  shells,  etc.,  and  took  the  early  train 
for  that  purpose.     Immediately  we  found  a  small 


142  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

company  of  Friends  on  board  for  a  trip  to  Catalina 
Island.  Among  them,  L.  Maria  Dean  and  Mary 
Thomas,  and  her  daughter,  Esther,  of  Iowa.  Noth- 
ing would  satisfy  them  until  they  got  our  consent 
to  accompany  them.  After  consulting  Dr.  Stuart, 
and  finding  the  vessel  would  not  leave  till  two 
o'clock,  we  assented.  Our  time  was  occupied  in  the 
selection  of  shells  of  many  varieties.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  wharf  at  San  Pedro,  with  a  gentle  breeze 
and  a  calm  sea,  L.  Maria  Dean  said  to  me,  *'  How 
nice  it  would  be  to  span  the  Pacific  on  a  voyage  like 
this."  I  replied,  "Ten  thousand  miles  like  this 
would  be  very  monotonous."  Two. hours  later  her 
face  gave  sign  of  sea-sickness,  so  dreaded  by  many. 
Reminding  her  of  her  expression,  1  said  to  her, 
"How  about  it  now?"  She  replied,  "If  the  Lord 
will  forgive  me  for  this,  I  will  never  try  it  again." 
Though  not  a  rough  sea,  many  were  deathly  sick. 
My  wife  and  I  were  not  afifected  in  the  least.  To- 
ward sunset  we  sighted  Avalon  Bay  and  Sugar  Loaf 
Rock  and  soon  reached  the  dock.  We  were  escorted 
to  a  hotel,  where  we  fared  sumptuously,  our  hostess 
doing  finely.  Here  old  ocean  has  its  clearest  waters, 
and  here  was  the  largest  display  of  the  world's  sea 
curios  known,  but  too  costly  for  the  common  trav- 
eler. Catalina  Island  belonged  to  the  British  Em- 
pire;   its   forests   and   mountains   are  the   home  of 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  143 

wild  goats.  Returning  next  day,  we  arrived  at  Whit- 
tier  for  another  rest  till  the  opening  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting. 

My  wife  and  I  were  the  advance  guard  of  the  dele- 
gates of  various  American  Yearly  Meetings,  but 
they  were  now  coming  in  numbers,  and  an  evening 
was  set  apart  to  welcome  the  delegates.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Nicholson  presided.  His  address  of  welcome 
was  lively,  lovely  and  spicy,  followed  with  some  ad- 
ditions by  Ella  C.  Veeder,  in  which  much  emphasis 
was  put  on  their  ability  to  supply  liberally  all  keen 
appetites  for  chicken.  Responses  were  given  by  a 
member  of  each  delegation,  and  when  Ohio  was 
reached,  my  response  was,  "  I  come  from  a  Yearly 
Meeting  that  has  not  only  a  full  supply  of  chickens, 
but  we  have  a  fair  supply  of  ducks,  their  feathers  so 
full  of  oil  that  they  neither  are  water-soaked  nor  in 
danger  of  being  drowned."  This  meeting  and  greet- 
ing was  most  cordial  and  free,  a  good  token  of  real 
fellowship  as  manifested  in  the  establishment  of  an- 
other spiritual  household  of  faith. 

The  Friends  of  California  in  1896  were  a  strong, 
capable,  spiritual  body,  and  the  setting  up  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  was  a  notable  occasion  for  South- 
ern California.  From  the  first  session  to  the  close 
its  influence  was  great,  not  only  upon  its  member- 
ship, but  also  upon  the  entire  community.     At  the 


144  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

session  which  had  for  consideration  the  Sunday- 
Schools,  a  half-hour  was  assigned  to  a  four-cornered 
talk,  that  is,  four  persons  had  each  seven  and  a  half 
minutes.  I  was  selected  as  one  of  them.  I  took  the 
authenticity  of  the  Bible,  concluding  by  reciting  the 
following: 

The  great  Jehovah  speaks  to  us, 

In  Genesis  and  Exodus. 

Leviticus  and  Numbers  see, 

Followed  by  Deuteronomy. 

Joshua  and  Judges  sway  the  land, 

Ruth  gleans  the  sheaf  with  trembling  hand. 

Samuel  and  numerous  Kings  appear, 

Where  Chronicles  they  wondrous  bear. 

Ezra  and  Nehemiah  now, 

Esther,  the  beauteous  mourner  show. 

Job  speaks  in  sighs,  David  in  Psalms, 

The  Proverbs  teach  us  scattered  alms. 

Ecclesiastes  then  comes  on 

With  the  sweet  Song  of  Solomon. 

Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  then 

With  Lamentations  take  the  pen; 

Ezekiel,  Daniel  Hosea,  lyres, 

Joel,  Amos,  Obadiah. 

Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum  come 

And  Habakkuk  find  ample  room. 

Zephaniah,  Haggai  calls. 

Wrapt  Zechariah  builds  the  walls. 

And  Malachi  with  garments  rent, 

Concludes  the  Ancient  Testament. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

ONE  other  incident  in  our  service  in  California 
Yearly  Meeting  may  be  mentioned,  a  desire 
that  I  should  deliver  a  temperance  address  having 
been  expressed,  I  had  consented  to  give  it  if  way 
could  be  made  for  it.  Evidently  there  was  an  ele- 
ment in  the  meeting  that  did  not  care  to  have  it. 
One  of  the  leading  members,  occupying  the  position 
of  county  clerk,  elected  by  the  Republican  party 
under  the  license  policy,  it  being  his  business  to 
sign  the  license,  so  it  was  staved  off  till  Seventhday 
evening  at  a  late  hour.  I  took  my  usual  text  for  a 
foundation,  viz. :  "  The  thistle  that  was  in  Leba- 
non, sent  to  the  cedar  that  was  in  Lebanon,  saying, 
'  Give  thy  daughter  to  my  son  to  wife.' "  II  Kings 
14 :9.  Being  hurried  for  time,  I  had  to  boil  it  down, 
but  emphasized  the  fact  that  though  repugnant  to 
good  sense,  that  the  proffered  hand  of  the  thistle 
had  been  accepted  by  Christian  civilization  wher- 
ever the  license  system  was  in  vogue,  the  marriage 
made  legal,  certificate  issued  with  two  signatures  as 
witnesses,  the  certificate  placed  on  record  and  a  du- 
plicate being  in  the  place  of  business,  the  marriage 

145 
11 


146  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

fee  paid,  to  be  repeated  every  year,  and  the  saloon 
and  civilization  v^ere  keeping  house  together  under 
protection  of  law^.  Such  an  alliance  was  justifying 
the  vv^icked  for  reward,  an  abhorent  evil  in  the  sight 
of  God.  We  must  reap  what  we  were  sowing.  It 
stuck  and  there  was  some  squirming,  but  it  is  glad- 
ness to  know  that  Friends  of  California  have  waked 
up  and  declared  their  united  repugnance  of  the 
license  system. 

Upon  the  close  of  the  Yearly  Meeting,  a  Friend, 
a  brother  of  Joseph  Briggs,  of  Winthrop  Center, 
Maine,  invited  my  wife  and  myself  to  join  them  in 
a  country  ride  along  Rivera  Boulevard,  a  distance 
of  five  miles  to  the  west  of  Whittier,  running  north 
and  south.  Our  route  took  us  past  the  ruins  of 
Governor  Pico's  palace,  made  of  adobe,  or  un- 
burned  brick;  then  past  the  battlefield  where  John 
C.  Fremont  and  Governor  Pico  met  in  conflict,  the 
latter  being  routed  and  conquered.  We  now  enter 
the  boulevard,  a  macadamized  road,  lined  continu- 
ously with  orange,  English  walnut,  and  lemon 
groves,  a  picturesque  view  of  one  of  the  best  por- 
tions of  the  fruitful  valley.  Running  parallel  with 
the  highway  was  a  large  conduit  for  irrigation, 
which,  with  perfect  cultivation  of  these  ranches, 
made  the  scene  a  delight.  Our  coachman  pointed 
out   a  particular  orange   grove  of  two  and  a  half 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  147 

acres,  owned  by  a  retired  Methodist  minister  who 
sold  his  orange  crop  on  the  trees  for  two  thousand 
and  five  hundred  dollars.  ''  I  can  verify  it,  if  neces- 
sary," he  said. 

Our  next  plans  were  for  return  homeward,  but 
soon  came  a  letter,  addressed  to  me,  from  a  lawyer 
of  Pomona,  saying:  "I  heard  you  speak  seven  and  a 
half  minutes  last  Friday  at  the  Friends  Yearly 
Meeting  on  the  Sunday  School.  Now  we  want  you 
at  Pomona  for  some  meetings.  We  have  been  hav- 
ing some  lectures  here  that  are  likely  to  lead  our 
young  people  away  from  the  Bible  and  revealed  re- 
ligion, and  we  would  be  glad  if,  as  soon  as  you  rest 
a  little,  you  could  come  and  give  at  least  services 
for  a  few  days."  I  took  this  letter  to  Thomas  Arm- 
strong, pastor  of  Friends  Church  at  Whittier.  Read- 
ing it,  he  said,  "  Such  a  call  should  be  noticed." 
There  were  but  six  days  before  we  must  leave  for 
home.  I  said,  "  If  thee  will  go  with  me,  I  will  go 
for  a  few  days."  We  telephoned  to  him  and  waited 
till  next  day  to  get  an  answer.  When  the  reply 
came  he  said,  "  Just  now  we  are  engaged  until  next 
Monday  in  a  campaign  to  vote  out  the  saloons,  and 
some  later  time  would  be  better."  Consequently, 
the  subject  had  to  be  dropped. 

On  the  ninth  of  April  we  left  Whittier  for  San 
Francisco    in    company    with    Jesse    Hawkins    and 


148         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

wife,  of  New  Burlington,  Ohio,  delegates  from  Wil- 
mington Yearly  Meeting.  We  tarried  but  one  day, 
taking  in  a  trip  to  Golden  Gate,  Crystal  Palace,  Seal 
Rock,  and  Golden  Gate  Park,  and  a  visit  to  China- 
town, all  very  interesting.  Next  day,  leaving  by 
way  of  Sacramento,  Ogden  and  Salt  Lake  City, 
where  we  stopped  off  a  day  and  took  in  the  Mormon 
Temple  grounds,  the  Tabernacle,  Mormon  schools, 
the  Bee  Hive,  headquarters  for  their  apostles,  and 
Brigham  Young's  grave;  also  the  military  fort  just 
north  of  the  city.  Salt  Lake,  to  the  Mormons,  is 
the  Dead  Sea  of  their  Holy  Land,  a  small  lake 
above  it  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  a  small  stream  con- 
necting them,  their  Jordan  —  Utah  their  Paradise. 
Our  further  route  led  through  Leadville,  Colorado 
Springs,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  reaching  home 
April  16,  1896,  weary  and  worn,  but  we  were  grate- 
ful for  the  Lord's  keeping  power  and  presence  over 
mountain  and  valley,  desert  and  fruitful  field,  by 
day  and  by  night. 

Home  —  who  can  tell  it,  the  central  spot  of  all  the 
earth,  the  inner  circle  of  domestic  activities,  the 
trysting  place  of  peaceful  shelter,  the  reunion  of 
kindred  so  long  unbroken  by  the  enemy  of  life. 
W^ho  does  not  thank  God  for  such  a  tarrying  place ! 
Back  to  daily  duties,  to  home  church,  not  all  beau- 
tiful "  sunshine,"  but  it  is  the  '*  Homeland." 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  149 

What  did  it  mean  away  back  yonder  to  yield  to 
the  Master's  call?  A  wide  field  of  service,  a  large 
measure  of  sacrifice,  a  consciousness  of  being  a  rich 
blessing  to  multitudes,  a  very  large  acquaintance  of 
congenial  spirits,  an  honest  pride  for  our  loved 
Friends  Church,  and  the  high  privilege  of  telling  the 
''  Old,  Old  Story  of  Jesus  and  His  Love,  of  Jesus 
and  the  Blood  of  Jesus  and  His  Word."  Yes,  and 
the  abiding  Comforter,  consecration  the  human  part, 
Spirit  filling  God's  part,  giving  hinds  feet,  fleet- 
footed  for  the  race,  patience  for  the  running  estab- 
lishment in  the  things  of  the  Kingdom,  Oh,  what 
results  hinged  on  the  choice  of  a  moment  and  the 
path  of  obedience ! 

Let  my  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel  give  earnest  heed  to  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation ;  the  goods  are  not  yours — they  are  your 
Employer's ;  you  are  the  commission  merchant  to 
handle  them  for  Him.  May  great  grace  be  upon 
you. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 

THE  year  1897  was  largely  occupied  in  pastoral 
service  at  Raisin  Center,  Michigan,  my  old 
home  meeting.  This  being  the  year  for  another  Five 
Years  Conference,  at  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting,  I  was 
appointed  chairman  of  the  delegation  to  attend  the 
conference  to  be  held  in  Indianapolis,  commencing 
October  19,  at  7:  30  p.  m.  Having  attended  the  two 
preceding  conferences,  I  had  become  pretty  well  ac- 
quainted with  many  of  the  leading  Friends  of  the 
several  Yearly  Meetings.  These  meetings  at  first 
were  simply  for  conference  and  advisory  discus- 
sion with  no  legislative  authority,  and  there  had 
been  a  ver_y  large  evidence  of  healthful  fellow- 
ship and  mutual  helpfulness.  It  was  at  this  confer- 
ence of  1897  there  began  to  develop  a  wish  on  the 
part  of  some  that  it  might  be  clothed  in  some  mea- 
sure with  legislative  power.  This  became  more 
evident  at  the  beginning  by  an  Address  on  "  Should 
Future  Conferences  have  Legislative  Authority?" 
by  Rufus  M.  Jones,  followed  by  a  paper  by  Edmund 
Stanley  on  "A  Uniform  Discipline  for  the  American 
Yearly  Meetings."     Both  of  these  addresses  were 

150 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  151 

calculated  to  prepare  the  conference  for  a  move  for- 
ward on  these  lines.  Previous  to  this,  each  Yearly 
Meeting  had  its  own  discipline,  only  differing  in 
some  minor  details  in  disciplinary  procedure,  and 
each  regarded  the  Yearly  Meeting  as  the  highest 
authority  for  decisions  and  counsel.  From  some  of 
the  Yearly  Meetings  there  came  requests  for  some 
measure  to  be  taken  by  this  conference  toward  such 
a  union  of  our  Yearly  Meetings  as  would  ''tend  to 
protect  them  from^'common  danger,  and  to  strengthen 
their  joint  participation  in  Christian  work."  Being 
one  of  the  business  committee  to  assist  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  decisions  of  the  conference  we 
prepared  such  conclusions  as  seemed  to  be  reached 
in  the  proceedings.  We  were  forced  to  affirm  that 
it  was  desirable  to  proceed  to  the  preparation  of  a 
discipline  to  be  submitted  to  the  various  Yearly 
Meetings  for  their  consideration,  which  resulted  in 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  two  from  each 
Yearly  Meeting  to  formulate  such  a  model.  When 
accomplished  and  presented  to  the  several  Yearly 
Meetings,  in  many  places  much  opposition  to  its 
acceptance  developed,  and  in  some  of  the  meetings 
was  only  carried  by  a  small  plurality.  In  many 
respects  the  Uniform  Discipline  was  a  long  step 
aside  from  the  old  standard,  and  became  a  perplex- 
ity as  to  its  application.    Any  desirable  change  in  it 


152  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

must  take  from  five  to  eight  years,  with  a  cumber- 
some detail  and  with  a  probable  defeat.  Such  were 
some  of  the  reasons  given  by  those  not  favorable  to 
its  adoption. 

Among  the  important  actions  of  the  conference  of 
1897  was  the  unanimous  adoption  of  the  following 
resolution,  viz. :  ''  In  the  activities  of  '  Modern 
Thought,'  new  questions  are  constantly  presented  to 
the  church;  among  these  are  those  growing  out  of 
what  is  called  '  Higher  Criticism,'  and  upon  these 
true  Christians  desire  to  take  correct  positions.  We 
desire  to  have  the  absolute  truth  of  God,  and  we 
approve  of  true  scholarship  that  is  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  God  to  correct  the  text  of  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  we  rejoice  in  all  the  investigations  that 
aid  in  the  true  understanding  of  the  Word;  but  we 
wish  to  condemn  the  frequent  attempts  to  attack 
the  integrity  of  the  Scripture  and  to  undermine 
their  authority,  which  varying  forms  of  unbelief 
make  upon  the  canon  under  the  cloak  of  *  Higher 
Criticism,'  and  which  work  very  serious  injury  to 
those  who  are  misled  by  them. 

"  It  sometimes  requires  a  highly  intelligent  and 
sanctified  judgment  to  detect  the  purpose  of  these 
attempts,  and  our  church  demands  of  its  qualified 
members  that  they  give  diligent  attention  to  these 
and  warn  our  members  against  them. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  153 

"  We  can  not  too  earnestly  advise  the  members 
of  the  church  at  large  to  reject  all  claims  of  author- 
ity for  changes  of  any  form  or  character  in  the  recog- 
nized versions  until  these  are  confirmed  by  the  con- 
sensus of  Christian  scholarship." 

That  such  a  statement  w^as  unanimously  adopted 
and  placed  in  the  minutes  of  the  conference  was 
and  is  a  strong  proof  of  its  estimate  of  the  sacred 
Word,  and  subsequent  developments  affirm  the  wis- 
dom of  that  body  in  their  declarations  as  representa- 
tives of  the  Friends  Church. 

In  the  face  of  such  a  united  stand  it  is  no  mar- 
vel that  certain  utterances  of  more  recent  date 
should  inspire  spiritual  zeal  for  the  defense  of  the 
faith  of  our  fathers,  based  on  the  Atonement,  pur- 
chased by  the  Word  made  flesh,  on  the  Calvary 
Cross,  giving  Himself  a  ransom  from  sin  and  its  pollu- 
tion. The  writer  in  a  personal  interview  with  one 
of  these  modern  "  Free  Thinkers,"  who  occupies  a 
prominent  position  in  a  Friends  college,  in  the  Bib- 
lical Department,  drew  from  him  a  denial  of  a 
personal  devil ;  also  the  substitutionary  sacrifice  of 
Jesus  on  the  Cross,  and  the  claim  that  the  Scrip- 
tures contradict  themselves,  and  that  he  has  a  right 
to  put  his  own  construction  upon  the  Inspired 
Word. 

"Joshua  told  the  people  God  would  not  forgive 


154         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

their  sins,  and  Paul  taught  forgiveness  of  sins,  that 
the  Scriptures  are  not  all  inspired,  for  some  are  the 
words  of  the  devil,"  and  then  he  quoted  Satan's 
Avords  to  God  about  Job.  "All  that  a  man  hath 
will  he  give  for  his  life,"  quoting  from  a  person 
(according  to  his  theory)  that  never  was,  nor  is. 
I  heard  the  same  man  preach  from  the  "  theme," 
*'  The  Making  of  a  Man."  From  the  first  to  last 
there  was  no  mention  made  of  sin,  or  salvation, 
Christ  or  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  new  birth  or  prayer, 
or  confession,  and  no  citation  to  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. These  are  no  second-hand  statements.  A 
young  man,  after  that  service,  walking  behind  us  on 
the  street,  was  heard  to  remark,  "  If  I  could  not  do  a 
better  job  than  that,  I  would  quit  the  business." 

The  writer  would  think  that  holy  men  would  cer- 
tainly be  inspired  to  record  Satan's  lies  as  well  as 
God's  truth,  and  the  work  of  a  personal  devil,  as 
well  as  a  personal  Saviour,  and  a  place  named 
"  Heaven,"  and  a  place  named  by  Jesus  Christ  as 
"  Hell." 

Is  it  strange  that  when  these  phases  of  unbelief 
are  boldly  handed  out  to  the  public,  other  holy  men 
should  bestir  themselves  to  meet  these  heady,  high- 
minded  theorists,  with  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  ?  " 

God  bless  them  with  His  wisdom  and  their  de- 
votion to  real  gospel  truth,  and  give  them  boldness 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  155 

to  declare  all  the  words  of  this  life  in  the  sweetness 
of  perfect  love  and  the  firmness  of  faith  and  definite 
disclosure  of  every  false  prophet  that  prophesies 
lies.  An  up-to-date  alertness  on  the  part  of  the 
Lord's  anointed  is  absolutely  important  when  God's 
own  are  maligned,  and  sacrilegious  utterances  made 
concerning  God's  claim  to  the  God  of  Abraham,  of 
Isaac  and  of  Jacob,  so  repeatedly  proclaimed  by 
Himself  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  And  may  the  next 
Five  Years'  Meeting  of  the  American  Friends 
Church  demand  allegiance  to  the  Scriptures  and 
their  former  utterances  as  given  above. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

FOR  the  next  three  years  my  Gospel  service  was 
largely  within  the  compass  of  our  own  Quar- 
terly Meeting.  I  attended  the  rededication  of 
Friends  Church  at  Lupton,  Ogemaw  County,  Mich- 
igan. It  had  been  my  privilege  to  participate  in  the 
dedication  services  when  it  was  first  erected,  a  mile 
in  the  country,  north  of  the  village  of  Lupton.  As 
the  village  grew,  and  many  of  the  members  of  the 
church  resided  there  it  was  a  necessity  to  accommo- 
date all,  so  it  was  decided  that  it  should  be  removed, 
which  met  with  united  approval.  The  edifice  was 
now  a  convenient  and  commodious  structure,  and 
the  dedication  was  a  matter  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest  in  the  community.  Lupton  meeting  has  had 
its  testings,  but  has  survived  them,  and  God  is 
blessing  His  own. 

The  year  1901  was  to  our  household  a  marked 
epoch  in  the  celebration  of  our  fiftieth  wedding  an- 
niversary. This  event  was  reported  and  published 
in  the  Tri-Weekly  Telegram.,  of  Adrian,  Michigan, 
bearing  date  of  May  14,  1901.  I  will  let  it  speak 
for  us,  for  that  joyous  occasion: 

156 


JACOB    BAKER   AND   WIFE 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  157 

"  Very  rarely  is  the  opportunity  afforded  to  at- 
tend a  golden  wedding,  for  this  age  of  hurried  living 
often  results  in  untimely  death.  Yet  on  Wednes- 
day, May  8,  about  fifty-five  friends  and  relatives  of 
Reverend  Jacob  Baker  and  his  wife,  Phila  A.,  had 
the  privilege  of  gathering  at  their  pleasant  home  in 
Raisin,  to  celebrate  with  them  the  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary of  their  marriage.  Although  the  morning  was 
cloudy  the  sun  soon  dispelled  the  mist,  and  by 
11  o'clock  most  of  the  guests  arrived  and  found  sun- 
shine within  the  house,  and  without  as  well. 

"White  and  gold  were  the  colors  used  in  the  dec- 
orations. Yellow  tulips  and  white  jonquils  were 
tastefully  arranged,  while  mantel  draperies  of  the 
same  shade  were  found  in  the  sitting  room  and  din- 
ing room.  Above  the  windows  in  the  large  parlor, 
the  yellow  and  white  were  gracefully  festooned,  and 
here  and  there  a  spray  of  smilax  added  to  the 
beauty. 

''After  much  persuasion,  the  bride  of  fifty  years 
donned  her  wedding  gown,  which  was  of  changeable 
blue  and  white  silk.  It  was  wonderfully  well  pre- 
served, as  is  also  its  owner. 

"  Two  loved  daughters.  Miss  Clara  E.  Baker,  of 
Raisin,  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Porter,  of  Fruit  Ridge,  are 
faithful  to  their  parents  in  their  declining  years. 
They  met  at  the  old  home  for  this  happy  day.    One 


158  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

granddaughter,  Miss  Bertha  Porter,  also  gladdens 
the  hearts  of  the  dear  ones,  and  was  with  them  on 
this  eventful  anniversary. 

*'  In  the  families  of  both  bride  and  groom,  seven 
brothers  and  sisters  grew^  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. Of  these,  three  sisters  of  the  bride,  and  two 
brothers  and  three  sisters  of  the  groom  were  pres- 
ent, and  of  the  fourteen  families,  all  but  three  were 
represented  in  person.  Letters  were  received  from 
many  absent  ones.  Mr.  Baker's  brother  in  Tennes- 
see, and  Mrs.  Baker's  sister  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
were  unable  to  be  present  on  account  of  the  long 
distance.  Dinner  was  served  at  12 :30.  Ample  pro- 
vision had  been  made  for  the  comfort  of  the  guests. 
Small  tables  were  carried  to  the  rooms  and  all  par- 
took of  the  abundant  repast. 

"  The  favors  were  tiny  books,  tied  with  ribbon  and 
bearing  on  one  side  in  gold  letters  the  words  '  Fifty 
years,'  and  on  the  other  the  dates,  1851-1901. 

"  The  gifts  were  costly,  beautiful  and  substantial, 
including  several  gold  coins.  Immediately  after  the 
refreshments,  there  were  songs,  and  an  original 
poem  by  Clara  A.  Baker,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  D.  Baker,  of  Allen,  Michigan,  and  niece  of  Rev- 
erend and  Mrs.  Baker. 

*'  Then  Mr.  Baker  in  well-chosen  words,  thanked 
the  friends  and  relatives  for  the  good  cheer  which 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  159 

their  presence  brought.  He  said  that  in  1865,  when 
he  built  the  house  where  he  now  Hves,  some  one 
asked  him  why  he  built  it  so  large  for  his  small  fam- 
ily. He  replied,  '  So  that  I  may  entertain  my 
friends.'  Right  royally  were  they  entertained  May 
8,  1901.  Later,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Baker,  of  Allen,  read  a 
personal  tribute  to  this  dear  brother  and  sister,  who 
for  several  years  gave  her  a  home  and  loving  care. 

"  For  nearly  sixty  years  Reverend  Baker  has  lived 
near  his  present  home,  most  of  the  time,  for  thirty- 
six  years,  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides. 

"  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  character,  and  with  his 
faithful  wife,  has  labored  these  long  years  for  right 
living,  at  home  and  abroad.  For  nearly  a  score  of 
years  he  has  preached  for  the  people  at  Raisin  Cen- 
ter, meantime  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  farm. 
His  tender  ministry  will  not  be  forgotten. 

"Although  his  hair  is  a  little  grayer  than  fifty 
years  ago,  we  can  say  from  the  heart,  'The  hoary 
head  is  a  crown  of  glory,  if  it  be  found  in  the  way  of 
righteousness.'  Long  may  these  true  hearts  live 
to  bless  those  with  whom  they  mingle." 

The  original  poem,  composed  and  read  by  Clara 
A.  Baker,  my  dearly  beloved  niece,  is  so  unique  and 
appropriate,  I  subjoin  it  below : 


i6o         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

There's  a  chain  of  golden  brightness, 
Made  of  fifty  links  so  strong; 

Every  link  is  set  with  jewels, 

And  the  chain  is  bright,  and  long. 

Fifty  years  ago  this  May  time, 

In  yon  house  upon  the  hill, 
Two  brave  hearts  began  the  making. 

Of  the  chain  unbroken  still. 

Every  year  a  link's  been  added. 
Making  up  the  chain  of  life, 

Life  together  of  the  dear  ones, 
Noble  husband,  faithful  wife. 

Could  we  know  the  joys  and  sorrows, 
That  have  come  with  passing  years; 

Could  we  see  the  many  burdens, 
All  the  trials,  and  all  the  tears. 

We  could  count  them  up  and  reckon, 
That  their  lives  have  been  well  spent. 

That  our  Father,  up  in  Heaven, 
Unto  earth  a  blessing  sent. 

When  He  placed  them  here  together. 
To  work  out  His  noble  plan, 

Of  a  home  where  true  love  reigneth, 
Now,  as  when  it  first  began. 

Fifty  years  ago  this  morning. 

Birds  sang  out  their  sweetest  lays. 

All  the  air  was  filled  with  perfume, 
'Twas  the  brightest  of  May  days. 

As  the  two  who  loved  each  other. 
Stood  together,  without  fear. 

And  before  their  God  in  Heaven, 
And  the  friends  to  them  so  dear, 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  i6i 

Promised  to  take  each  the  other, 

Take  in  sickness,  and  in  health, 
Take  for  worse,  or  for  the  better, 

And  in  poverty  or  in  wealth. 

To  protect,  and  love,  and  cherish, 

Until  death  their  lives  shall  part, 
So  they  gave  to  each  the  other. 

Gave  the  hand,  and  gave  the  heart. 

Dear  ones,  w^as  that  happy  morning 

Any  happier  than  today; 
Did  the  birds  sing  any  sweeter, 

Were  your  hearts  a  bit  more  gay? 

Was  your  love  then,  any  stronger, 

Than  the  love  you  have  today, 
After  fifty  years  of  testing. 

As  you've  journeyed  on  life's  way? 

No,  your  lives  have  told  the  story, 

And  today  your  faces  tell, 
That  the  chain  that  you've  been  making, 

Every  link  has  been  made  well. 

Fifty  years  of  home  together, 

'Fifty  years  of  joy  and  peace, 
Fifty  years  of  life's  true  living, 

Years  of  love,  that  ne'er  shall  cease. 

Many  now  who  then  were  with  you, 

To  a  better  land  have  gone. 
There  to  live  the  bright  forever, 

There  to  sing  the  glad  new  song. 

In  that  home  of  light  and  glory, 

Waiting,  watching  you  with  joy, 
There  are  brothers,  there  are  sisters, 

And  the  long-lost  baby  boy. 


12 


1 62         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

But  your  friends,  on  earth,  are  many. 
For  new  friends  have  come  to  you; 

See  the  children,  true  and  faithful, 
And  the  grandchild,  just  as  true. 

Count  the  nephews  and  the  nieces, 
And  their  children,  glad  and  free. 

Then  the  brothers,  and  the  sisters, 
Of  the  long  ago  will  be 

E'en  more  dear  than  when  in  childhood, 
You  together  played,  or  when 

They  became  young  men,  and  women, 
Tho'  most  dear  they  were  e'en  then. 

Oh,  these  friendships;    how  they  strengthen, 
How  they  brighten  life's  long  chain, 

How  they  make  the  life  worth  living, 
How  they  bring  back  youth  again. 

Time  brings  changes,  but  the  friendships, 
That  were  formed  in  days  long  past, 

Will  be  cherished,  fondly  cherished, 
E'en  as  long  as  life  shall  last. 

And  as  now  we've  met  together, 

On  this  golden  wedding  day, 
We  would  ask  for  Heaven's  blessing, 

For  the  choicest,  we  would  pray. 

To  descend  and  rest  upon  us, 
On  that  man,  and  woman  true. 

Who  so  long  have  walked  together. 
Sweetly  walked  life's  journey  through. 

May  the  chain  that  they've  been  making 
Bright  and  ever  brighter  grow. 

Till  our  Father  up  in  Heaven, 

Calls  them  from  this  earth  below. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  163 

Then  when  meetings  and  the  partings. 

Of  our  life  on  earth  shall  end, 
When  the  trials  all  are  over, 

And  the  blessings  God  shall  send. 

When  the  mourning  and  the  laughter, 

When  the  weddings  shall  be  o'er, 
When  God's  children,  gather  homeward, 

To  be  happy  ever  more. 

May  we  one  and  all  be  present 

At  the  marriage  over  there, 
In  that  bright  Eternal  City, 

Where  all  things  are  bright  and  fair. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

ON  MAY  9,  1901,  the  day  following  our  golden 
wedding,  in  returning  the  tables,  chairs  and 
dishes  to  the  city,  I  was  caught  in  a  cold  rain  and 
took  a  heavy  cold,  which  developed  muscular  rheu- 
matism, and  constant  suffering  for  six  months.  I 
had  a  few  days  preceding  this  secured  from  my 
Monthly  and  Quarterly  Meeting  proper  credentials 
to  attend  in  the  love  of  the  Gospel,  New  York  and 
New  England  Yearly  Meetings,  and  some  other 
service  therein.  Apparently  this  would  have  to  be 
given  up,  and  my  friends  suggested  that  course. 
With  much  prayer,  seeking  wisdom  from  above,  I 
felt  willing  to  make  the  effort,  with  the  care  and 
companionship  of  my  devoted  wife.  After  consult- 
ing two  physicians,  who  were  intimate  friends,  who 
advised  delay,  I  said  to  them,  ''There  can  be  no  de- 
lay for  this  service,  if  it  is  possible  for  us  to  make 
the  trip."  Both  expressed  the  belief  that  plenty  of 
sunshine  would  give  relief.  Believing  the  grace  of 
the  Lord  would  sustain  me,  we  made  ready  for  the 
journey.  The  weather  was  unusually  cold  .and 
damp,  and  on  reaching  Buffalo,  it  was  still  unfavor- 
able, and  during  several  hours  of  waiting  for  our 

164 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  165 

train  to  Schenectady,  my  suffering  was  very  keenly 
felt,  and  testing  to  faith.  On  reaching  Schenectady 
at  2:30  in  the  morning,  we  could  get  no  train  till  7 
a.  m.  Those  hours  were  slow  and  painful,  but  borne 
trustfully  and  patiently,  with  strong  faith  in  God. 
We  reached  Glen  Falls  and  took  a  hack  for  Friends 
Church,  arriving  just  as  the  opening  hymn  was  be- 
ing sung. 

I  had  attended  that  Yearly  Meeting  in  1878,  the 
first  time  it  was  held  at  Glens  Falls.  On  entering 
the  house  I  was  welcomed  and  seated  on  the  plat- 
form, and  attended  all  the  sessions,  day  and  night, 
though  constantly  suffering.  On  Firstday  morning 
I  was  assigned  to  have  charge  of  the  service  in  the 
Yearly  Meeting  house.  I  chose  for  my  subject, 
"There  were  six  steps  to  the  throne."  II  Chroni 
cles,  9:17,  treating  it  under  the  heads,  "Considera- 
tion, Repentance,  Faith,  Justification,  Sanctification 
and  Glorification."  The  congregation  was  large,  at- 
tentive, and  inspiring,  with  a  manifest  presence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  An  English  Friend  remarked  at 
the  close,  "  Thy  sermon  told."    The  evening  service 

was  assigned  to  R.  M.  J. ,  who  chose  for  his 

subject  the  words  of  Elisha's  servant  at  Dothan, 
"Alas,  my  master,  how  shall  we  do?"  A  most  ex- 
cellent theme.  Elisha  was  always  equal  to  the  oc- 
casion, and  in  this  case  resorted  to  prayer  to  the 


1 66  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Lord  that  He  would  give  the  young  man  a  vision 
of  the  unHmited  forces  that  He  has  for  His  own. 
The  whole  trend  of  the  discourse  was,  if  people  de- 
sire knowledge  they  should  resort  to  the  learned, 
the  cultured,  placing  culture  before  spirituality,  or 
at  least  exalting  it  as  the  ideal  channel  to  obtain 
light.  There  was  much  display  of  intellectual  skill, 
and  a  tame,  cool  delivery,  a  frigid  benediction,  and 
it  was  over.  Walking  down  the  aisle  in  company 
with  my  wife,  we  were  halted  by  a  young  lady,  who 
put  this  question  :  "  What  are  we  young  people  go- 
ing to  do ;  take  the  good  old  Bible  gospel,  or  bow 
to  culture  and  worship  that?"  I  replied,  "Take 
Jesus  as  your  personal  Saviour,  and  if  cultured  lay 
it  on  the  altar  and  hide  under  the  shadow  of  the 
cross." 

The  Yearly  Meeting  over,  we  went  to  Charles 
R.  Mott's  South  Glens  Falls,  for  a  few  days'  rest, 
then  to  Poughkeepsie,  and  remained  over  Sabbath, 
preaching  there.  Then  by  boat  to  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  and  thence  by  rail  to  Portland,  Maine, 
and  were  assigned  to  a  home  among  the  Bakers, 
who,  like  the  Bakers  of  the  west,  trace  our  ancestry 
back  to  Old  England.  We  were  now  in  sturdy  old 
Maine,  strong  in  moral  fibre  and  one  of  the  corner 
stones  of  liberty  and  sobriety.  New  England,  grave 
and  prudent  in  action,  dignified  in  method,  sincere 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  167 

in  conservatism,  with  much  to  admire.  Our  place 
among  them  was  pleasant,  though  somewhat  handi- 
capped by  keen  physical  suffering.  We  trust  we 
were  made  a  blessing  to  souls. 

At  the  close  we  went  to  Winthrop  Center,  to  tarry 
a  few  days  at  the  spacious  and  hospitable  home  of 
that  worthy  woman,  Hannah  Bailey,  where  we  spent 
a  very  pleasant  week  in  company  with  Eli  Reece, 
then  of  New  York,  and  had  some  meetings  in  the 
church  close  by.  On  Sabbath  was  at  the  meeting 
at  Manchester,  in  company  with  Joseph  Briggs.  We 
next  turned  homeward,  stopping  a  few  days  at 
Farmington,  New  York,  visiting  the  old  homestead 
of  young  boyhood,  and  on  to  Elba,  then  to  Buffalo, 
and  stopped  a  day  at  the  Pan-American  Expo- 
sition, too  feeble  to  travel  only  a  short  distance 
without  a  rest.  We  waited  for  the  evening  to  conie 
so  as  to  witness  that  most  marvelous  display  of  a 
million  electric  lights  turned  on  in  a  moment  giving 
the  lustre  of  light  out  of  darkness,  an  earthly  sym- 
bol of  the  plan  of  the  gospel.  At  11  p.  m.  we  tool:  a 
train  for  home,  arriving  there  on  July  3,  with  the 
merciful  protection  and  constant  presence  of  the  Di- 
vine Friend,  and  unslumbering  Redeemer,  with  the 
assurance  of  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  upon  us. 
Rheumatism  continued  until  November,  when  a 
physician,  converted  under  my  ministry  at  Hanover, 


1 68         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Michigan,  many  years  before,  at  my  request  made 
examination  of  my  case  and  said  he  thought  he 
could  help  me,  so  gave  a  prescription  and  told  me 
after  two  weeks  to  come  again.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  I  went  to  him  again  and  he  pronounced  me  bet- 
ter, and  I  left  with  another  two  weeks'  supply,  but 
before  that  time  had  expired,  my  trouble  was  gone, 
and  has  never  come  back  any  more.  Constant  mov- 
ing had  kept  me  from  a  complete  shut-in,  and  all  the 
glory  of  my  deliverance  rests  back  on  Him  whose  I 
am  and  whom  I  serve.  On  May  8,  1901,  golden  wed- 
ding with  great  gladness  and  notable  incident ;  May 
9,  sudden  turn  to  suffering;  November  25,  complete 
deliverance  from  mine  infirmity  under  the  hand  of 
Omnipotence;  an  eventful  year,  for  which  I  praise 
God. 

In  the  autumn  of  1901  I  received  credentials  to 
attend  Western  and  Indiana  Yearly  Meetings.  Dur- 
ing the  sessions  of  the  former  the  news  of  the  death 
of  President  McKinley  was  announced,  and  the  fun- 
eral services  arranged  to  be  held  at  2  o'clock  p.  m. 
on  Thursday.  On  that  day  we  left  Indianapolis  by 
electric  car  for  Fairmount,  Indiana,  to  attend 
Friends  Quarterly  Meeting.  While  enroute  for  that 
place,  suddenly  our  car  was  brought  to  a  stand- 
still, when  the  conductor  announced  at  the  hour  of 
2  o'clock  all  conductors  on  this  railroad  have  been 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  169 

instructed  to  halt,  wherever  they  are  for  ten  min- 
utes and  pay  honor  to  the  departed  dead,  while  the 
home  city  of  the  chief  magistrate  was  conducting 
the  sad  rites  of  Christian  burial,  adding  that  if  there 
were  any  clergymen  present,  use  your  privileges. 
At  once  all  conversation  ceased,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment I  offered  this  prayer: 

"  O  Lord  God  of  the  universe,  in  the  midst  of  our 
sorrow  we  come  to  Thee  with  praise  in  our  hearts 
for  the  noble  Christian  life  of  our  lamented  Presi- 
dent, the  dignity  of  his  character,  the  gracious,  ten- 
der spirit  he  manifested  in  his  sufferings,  his  hesita- 
tion to  declare  war  against  the  oppression  of  Spain 
over  Cuba,  and  the  quick  results  of  that  conflict. 
While  we  can  not  understand  Thy  permission,  we 
ask  that  the  sad  taking  off  of  our  honored  head,  may 
be  sanctified  to  the  nation's  highest  good.  We  im- 
plore Thy  richest  blessing  upon  the  widow,  and  the 
household,  and  all  who  mourn.  Guide  in  Thy  wis- 
dom the  affairs  of  state  and  nation.  Grant  that  a 
blessing  may  come  to  those  who  have  given  this 
brief  time  to  this  great  purpose  and  privilege  of  ac- 
knowledging the  sovereignty  of  God,  and  His  Son, 
Jesus  Christ.    Amen." 

Promptly  at  the  expiration  of  the  allotted  time, 
we  moved  forward,  arriving  at  Fairmount  in  time 
to  attend  the  union  memorial   services   in   Friends 


lyo         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Church.  Attended  Quarterly  Meeting,  and  then  on 
to  Richmond  and  attended  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting. 

Nineteen  hundred  and  two  found  me  again  on  the 
delegation  to  the  Five  Years'  Conference  at  Indian- 
apolis, the  Conference  to  merge  into  the  Five  Years' 
Meeting.  Ohio  delegates'  services  ended  with  the 
new  order,  and  we  were  only  fraternally  there  from 
that  onward.  At  that  meeting  the  sessions  were  oc- 
cupied in  the  interpretation  and  application  of  the 
Uniform  Discipline. 

Somequestions  were  raised  as  to  what  our  young 
people  were  to  do  in  their  attitude  toward  Destruc- 
tive Criticism,  but  it  w^as  evident  a  quash  was  put 
upon  it. 

Thus  have  sped  the  years  of  active  service  in  the 
ministry  of  the  Word,  following  the  mind  of  Christ 
as  recorded  in  the  sacred  Scriptures,  especially  com- 
missioned to  give  the  ministry  of  reconciliation  that 
God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Him- 
self. His  goods,  not  ours.  Only  the  commission 
merchants'  place,  handling  another's  goods,  the  per- 
centage sure.  There  remains  to  finish  these  inci- 
dents only  a  brief  recital  of  the  salient  points  of  one 
more  decade  of  service  of  the  riper  years  of  experi- 
ence and  my  simple,  arduous  task  is  done,  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  fair  consideration  of  my  dear  fellow- 
servants  in  the  household  of  faith. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

FROM  1903  to  1911  my  gospel  service  was  of  an 
itinerary  nature,  from  place  to  place.  ]\Iany 
Quarterly  Meetings  were  visited  in  the  love  of  the 
gospel,  being  everywhere  cordially  received  with 
Christian  courtesy.  Also  I  found  myself  drawn  to  a 
number  of  American  Yearly  Meetings.  Twice  I  at- 
tended Canada  Yearly  Meeting.  The  first  held  in 
Toronto  in  the  new  Friends  Church.  A  prominent 
figure  among  the  visiting  ministers  was  Stanley 
Newman,  of  England,  whose  services  were  founded 
on  the  Impregnable  Rock  of  Divine  Inspiration. 
During  the  week  a  call  from  the  pastor  of  one  of 
the  first  Baptist  churches  of  the  city  came  for  me 
to  preach  in  his  church  on  Sabbath  evening,  to 
which  I  responded.  J.  H.  Douglas  had  occupied  the 
pulpit  that  morning.  On  introducing  me  to  the 
audience,  the  pastor  remarked  that  "  This  mornnig 
we  had  a  good  Baptist  sermon  from  a  Friend,  and  I 
expect  we  will  have  another  this  evening."  I  re- 
plied, "  Excuse  me  brother,  there  is  but  one  gospel 
found  in  the  Scriptures,  and  I  am  here  to  preach 
that  one  gospel,  though  in  a  Baptist  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  claim   to  be  a   Friend."     This   statement 

171 


172  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

gave  me  the  ears  of  the  audience,  and  proved  a  spe- 
cial means  of  blessing,  as  was  largely  manifested  in 
the  after  meeting  that  followed.  That  was  in  1904. 
The  weather  was  cold  and  wet.  My  last  visit  to 
Canada  was  at  New  Market,  in  1910.  Here  I  first 
met  Arthur  Dann  and  wife,  who  had  just  arrived 
in  this  country  from  England,  the  meeting  being 
held  in  the  Friends  College.  This  building,  com- 
pleted and  furnished  a  year  before,  had  just  closed 
its  first  year  of  operation  with  a  good  class  of  stu- 
dents. The  sessions  of  that  year  did  not  exceed 
sixty-five  in  attendance  at  any  one  time,  but  all 
bore  tokens  of  earnest  zeal  and  great  faith.  On  the 
Sabbath  a  request  to  go  to  Toronto  to  occupy  the 
pulpit  in  the  Friends  Church  was  responded  to  with 
pleasure  and  profit. 

Four  times  in  the  last  decade,  I  attended  Western 
Yearly  Meeting  at  Plainfield,  Indiana,  always  hav- 
ing great  liberty  in  gospel  service;  in  fact,  my  later 
years  were  directed  to  those  larger  gatherings,  seem- 
ingly, to  demonstrate  the  value  of  an  uttermost  sal- 
vation, invigorating  strength  to  body,  mind  and  spirit, 
giving  to  the  younger  portion  of  the  church  a  strong 
evidence  of  the  real  and  axiomatic  proof  that  Chris- 
tianity is  the  most  desirable  thing  to  seek,  and  to  be 
in  possession  of,  and  is  demanded  for  this  genera- 
tion of  young  manhood  and  womanhood.     My  aim 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  i^j^t 

was  to  make  that  emphatic.  Western  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of  Friends  has  produced  a  fair  quota  of  stalwart 
characters,  and  they  have  given  great  strength  to 
civic  righteousness.  In  this  Yearly  Meeting  I  won 
many  trophies  of  grace  for  the  Master,  for  which 
one  might  well  be  thankful. 

A  strange  exhibition  of  much  confusion  was  ex- 
hibited in  the  last  Five  Year'  Meeting,  when  two 
semi-unitarian  papers  were  read  by  two  professed 
modern  lights,  who  are  at  heart  really  but  "will-of- 
the-wisps"  in  the  swamp  of  doubt.  Any  human  ef- 
fort to  parade  self  and  travel  a  thousand  miles  in 
mere  intellectual  display  to  reach  a  kernel  of  grain, 
is  but  aerial  egotism  ending  in  smash.  God  save 
the  Friends  from  a  flattening  in  such  a  descent.  We 
love  her  too  well  to  see  her  die  of  brain  fever. 

Kansas  Yearly  Meeting  was  visited  in  1908,  at  Law- 
rence, and  the  conclusion  reached  was  that  genuine 
push  with  a  commendable  and  prevailing  aggressive- 
ness was  characteristic  of  that  younger  sister  of  the 
family.  Its  sessions  gave  proof  of  earnestness,  firm- 
ness, condescension,  and  conquest.  Her  university 
faculty  moved  in  the  spirit  of  humility  and  modesty 
and  united  in  evangelical  truth.  It  was  a  blessing 
to  mingle  with  them  in  behalf  of  the  gospel.  She 
has  a  broad  field,  and  much  crude  material  to  fit  into 
a  spiritual  temple. 


174  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Wilmington  Yearly  Meeting  has  claimed  a  share 
in  my  service  for  my  Lord.  Twice  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  be  associated  with  them  in  their  annual 
gathering  and  to  attend  their  three  Quarterly  Meet- 
ings, and  many  of  the  meetings  composing  them,  as 
well  as  that  of  Knoxville,  Friendsville  and  Mary- 
ville,  Tennessee.  The  new  theories  have  very  little 
weight  in  that  Yearly  Meeting.  There  are  a  few 
airy  spirits  that  need  to  touch  terra  firma  spiritually. 

Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  having  declared  itself  in 
favor  of  a  whole  unmutilated  Bible,  and  tied  to  the 
deity  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  stands  between  the  two 
extremes  of  cold  formalism  and  excessive  emotion- 
alism, in  many  respects  revealing  a  steady  faith. 

Like  others  of  our  own  denomination,  all  need 
to  realize  that  while  higher  education  has  its  place, 
and  ought  to  be  profitable,  but  constantly  to  exalt 
intellectuality  above  spirituality  is  a  seducing  spirit 
of  idolatry,  attended  with  fatalism.  One  has  aptly 
said,  "  Train  a  man's  hand,  and  he  becomes  a  mag- 
nificent beast;  train  a  man's  head,  and  he  becomes  a 
magnificent  scoundrel ;  but  train  a  man's  hand  and 
head  and  heart,  and  he  becomes  a  magnificent  speci- 
men of  noble  Christian  manhood." 

My  last  visit  to  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  was  in  1908, 
when  I  had  good  liberty  in  the  Master's  service. 
New  York  Yearly   Meeting  was  visited  the  third 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  175 

time,  at  Union  Springs,  in  1910,  in  company  with 
my  son  in  the  faith,  William  Kirby,  where  we  had 
access  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  It  was  said  to  be 
above  the  ordinary  for  a  number  of  years.  The  town 
is  situated  on  the  east  shore  of  Cuyuga  Lake,  and 
here  is  located  Oakwood  Seminary. 

This  Yearly  Meeting  has  in  it  many  tokens  of  a 
true  desire  to  promote  the  spread  of  evangelical 
Christianity.  It  has  also  in  it  an  India  rubber  liber- 
ality that  would  like  to  affiliate  in  close-handed  fel- 
lowship with  the  Unitarian  Friends  in  a  feigned 
peace,  for  the  spread  of  the  cause  of  international 
peace.  The  writer  is  sure  each  can  serve  the  cause 
more  successfully  in  its  separate  organization.  It  is 
no  time  for  amalgamation  now;  light  and  darkness 
do  not  compound  well  either  in  nature  or  grace. 
Too  much  attention  is  given  to  lectures,  and  too  lit- 
tle time  to  the  gospel  message.  With  these  criti- 
cisms we  love  the  brotherhood,  but  what  is  brother- 
hood if  the  Holy  Spirit's  sanctifying  grace  is  left 
out,  and  the  cleansing  blood  the  heart  of  all  is  ex- 
punged from  the  experience  of  human  life.  On  our 
return  we  took  in  the  Quarterly  Meeting  at  Elba, 
and  most  of  its  meetings,  returning  via  Canada,  of 
which  we  have  spoken. 

The  next  in  course  came  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting,  to 
which  in  close  association  for  many  years  we  have 


176         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

become  peculiarly  attached.  This  year  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  were  privileged  to  attend ;  the 
first  time  for  my  wife  in  several  years. 

Ohio  has  had  its  full  portion  of  testings,  but  has 
with  these  testings  survived  each  shock  of  paralysis, 
and  in  her  chastisements  has  held  her  love  for  the 
genuine,  and  seeks  to  discern  the  wide  difference 
between  the  false  and  the  true.  The  sessions  of 
1910  were  marked  with  the  realized  presidency  of 
Jesus  Christ,  as  manifested  in  the  free  hand  of  the 
servants  of  the  church,  in  the  open  way  for  the  para- 
mount purpose  of  such  a  gathering,  viz. :  the  spir- 
itual vitality  of  its  membership.  Arthur  Dann  and 
wife  seemed  to  inhale  the  deep  spiritual  atmosphere 
with  delight,  remarking  that  they  had  never  wit- 
nessed such  a  method  of  what  God  can  do,  when 
people  are  in  His  hands.  Ohio  has  nothing  to  boast 
of  in  its  unique  position  at  the  present  time.  Fellow- 
ship is  dear,  but  when  sacrifice  of  principle  is  the 
price  of  it,  it  is  the  most  stupendous  sham  of  all. 
Many  are  desirous  that  it  should  come  into  the  Five 
Years'  Meeting,  but  in  the  present  status  of  the  or- 
ganization there  is  no  probability  of  such  a  course. 
Many  of  us  would  rejoice  if  it  were  otherwise,  but 
the  productions  of  certain  leaders  are  so  flagrant 
with  error  that  to  withhold  is  a  virtue.  Renovation 
might  change  Ohio's  attitude,  and  pave  the  way  to  a 
real  union. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  177 

My  outside  gospel  service  for  the  first  five  months 
of  1911,  has  consisted  in  responding  to  a  call  to  at- 
tend New  Garden  Quarterly  Meeting,  Indiana,  and 
the  meetings  belonging  to  it;  also,  Whitewater 
Quarterly  Meeting,  and  some  of  its  meetings,  in 
all  of  which  the  Lord  was  graciously  near  to  uphold 
and  strengthen  in  every  way.  April  found  me  start- 
ing to  take  in  course  some  of  the  Quarterly  Meet- 
ings of  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting.  Goshen  at  Byhalia, 
Alum  Creek,  Damascus  at  Beloit.  In  all  these  there 
was  granted  fresh  vigor  to  body,  mind  and  spirit, 
and  in  the  deliverances  of  the  Gospel  message.  On 
Secondday  evening,  May  15,  after  several  days  of 
strenuous  work,  I  was  to  preach  at  Friends  Church 
in  Alliance,  Ohio.  In  the  midst  of  the  service  I  was 
suddenly  overcome,  and  fell  to  the  floor,  carrying  the 
desk  with  me.  Four  men  carried  me  to  the  parson- 
age close  by,  and  a  physician  was  called.  I  did  not 
lose  consciousness.  I  suffered  much  for  thirty-six 
hours  when  relief  came,  and  soon  convalescence, 
with  reduced  strength.  I  reached  home  on  the  nine- 
teenth, in  the  vigor  of  divine  life,  and  while  resting 
am  endeavoring  to  complete  the  ''  Incidents  of  My 
Life  and  Life  Work." 

In  closing  this  narrative,  covering  a  life  of  strenu- 
ous service,  physically,  mentally,  and  above  all,  spir- 
itually, endowed  with  a  hardy  constitution,  a  mind 


178         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

given  to  meditation  and  love  of  solitude  and  of  the 
true,  when  these  became  vitalized  by  the  regenerat- 
ing power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  could  but  become  a 
zealot  for  Him,  who  called  me  to  glory  and  to  virtue, 
and  when  the  definite  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
came,  fear  and  timidity  vanished,  as  mist  before  the 
sun,  and  in  its  place  came  a  boldness  coupled  with 
humility,  and  perfect  love  to  God,  and  frail,  sinful 
man.  There  has  been  no  lapse  of  interest  or  per- 
sonal communion  with  my  Father  through  His  Son. 

I  have  reviewed  a  life  of  eighty-four  years  with 
the  hope  it  may  be  used  of  God  to  much  good  when 
my  journey  is  ended.  The  writer,  only  a  sinner, 
saved  by  grace  through  the  manifold  mercies  of  a 
long-suffering  Saviour.  I  commend  it  to  God  as  a 
memorial  of  His  marvelous  grace  and  preservation. 

The  salutation  of  my  own  right  hand  and  loving 
heart  remain  with  all  mv  readers  and  fellow-saints. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

August,  1910,  found  our  family  in  our  usual  de- 
y^Vgree  of  health,  and  planning  to  attend  Ohio 
Yearly  Meeting,  to  be  held  at  Damascus.  It  had 
been  several  years  since  my  wife  had  attended,  and 
to  be  granted  the  privilege  of  being  associated  once 
more  in  the  blessings  of  our  annual  gathering,  was 
indeed  a  fresh  inspiration.  Accordingly,  August  23 
found  us  in  our  place  of  assignment,  near  the  place 
of  meeting,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  rare  social 
mingling  with  others.  My  wife  had  not  been  strong 
for  a  number  of  years,  but  was  able  to  attend  most 
of  the  sessions.  Returning  home,  a  trip  by  boat 
from  Cleveland  to  Toledo  was  enjoyed  very  much. 
On  September  10  the  Colvin  family  renuion  was 
held  at  our  nephew's,  Charles  Colvin's,  about  nine 
miles  from  our  home,  which  our  whole  family  at- 
tended. I  had  expected  to  attend  Western  and  In- 
diana Yearly  Meetings,  but  at  the  reunion  a  very 
pressing  invitation  came  from  my  brother,  Joseph,  and 
family,  whose  home  is  in  Hillsdale  County,  Michi- 
gan, to  spend  the  week  following  with  them.  And 
believing  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  my  wife,  I 

179 


i8o         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

said  to  her  if  she  would  go  I  would  give  up  my 
Indiana  trip  and  go  with  her.  This  course  was  de- 
cided upon.  The  visit  was  a  very  pleasant  one,  in 
social  mingling,  fishing,  and  outdoor  exercise,  and 
we  returned  refreshed,  on  Wednesday. 

On  the  next  Monday  my  wife  was  taken  sick, 
with  stoppage  of  the  bowels,  and  suffered  greatly 
for  four  days,  and  then  the  end  came.  Nearly  sixty 
years  God  had  held  her  life  precious  in  His  sight, 
and  granted  us  a  most  blessed  association  in  mar- 
riage relation,  a  precious  gift  from  God.  The  part- 
ing was  keenly  felt,  but  to  give  her  back  to  the 
Giver,  as  one  of  His  own,  in  cheerfulness  and  as- 
surance, gave  rest  in  His  will. 


OBITUARY 

QUIET  and  peaceful  as  was  her  life,  so  was  the 
death  of  Phila  A.  Baker,  wife  of  Jacob  Baker, 
which  occurred  at  her  home  in  Raisin  Center,  Thurs- 
day evening,  September  29,  1910.  So  He  giveth  His 
beloved  sleep.  Having  spent  all  the  years  of  her 
long  life  faithfully  and  well,  she  was  gently  called 
to  her  eternal  rest,  leaving  her  loved  ones  the  heri- 
tage of  her  labors,  her  struggles,  her  victories,  and 
going  to  her  heritage  incorruptible,  that  fadeth  not 
away,  reserved  in  Heaven  for  her. 

Phila  A.  Colvin  was  born  in  Farmington,  Wayne 
County,  New  York,  March  13,  1828.  She  was  the 
oldest  of  a  family  of  nine — three  sons  and  six 
daughters — children  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Colvin, 
who  came  to  Michigan  in  1832,  and  settled  in  the 
Township  of  Madison,  Lenawee  County.  Only  two 
sisters  remain,  Mrs.  Mary  Freeman,  of  Toledo,  Ohio, 
who  was  at  her  bedside  during  the  four  days  of  her 
sickness,  and  Mrs.  Eliza  Hodges,  of  Washington, 
D.C. 

She  was  a  lifelong  member  of  the  Friends  Church. 
She  was  converted  in  her  girlhood  during  revival 

i8i 


i82  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

efforts,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
at  Hudson,  Michigan.  She  was  a  firm  believer  in 
the  fundamentals  of  the  gospel,  a  lover  of  the  Bible, 
liberal  in  non-essentials,  and  inflexible  as  to  the  one 
foundation.  Her  marriage  with  Jacob  Baker  oc- 
curred May  8,  1851. 

His  manliness  and  devoted  love  sustained  her 
while  for  almost  sixty  years  they  w^alked  together 
heart-to-heart,  and  hand-in-hand,  each  the  comple- 
ment of  the  other.  Three  children  were  given  them, 
George  Howard,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years, 
and  two  loyal  daughters,  Florence,  wife  of  E.  H. 
Porter,  of  Sand  Creek,  Michigan,  and  Clara  E., 
whose  faithful  ministration  has  been  a  blessing  to 
the  home,  until  during  the  last  years,  with  that  of 
J.  Ella  Butler,  who  has  taken  a  daughter's  place. 

For  twelve  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  enjoyed  life 
on  a  farm,  in  Palmyra  Township.  It  was  here  that 
the  children  were  born,  and  the  father  and  mother 
cheerfully  bent  every  effort  to  build  for  themselves 
a  true  home.  Upon  the  conversion  of  the  husband, 
in  1863,  the  most  important  things  of  the  kingdom 
took  first  place  in  their  hearts  and  lives. 

When  it  became  evident  that  he  was  called  to 
preach  the  gospel,  she  entered  into  hearty  sympathy 
and  co-operation,  and  through  the  succeeding  years, 
they  worked  together  in  pastoral  and  evangelistic 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  183 

work  among  the  Friends,  and  visited  sister  churches 
of  their  beloved  denomination,  traveling  north  and 
south,  and  from  coast  to  coast. 

For  many  years  she  filled  the  station  of  Elder 
in  the  church.  She  was  of  a  retiring  disposition, 
quietly  developing  a  deep  Christian  character.  She 
was  a  lover  of  her  home,  a  devoted  mother,  and  true 
and  faithful  wife.  During  the  last  sickness,  though 
under  severe  suffering,  she  bore  it  with  patience  and 
fortitude,  witnessing  to  her  Christian  faith,  with  the 
words,  "Jesus  paid  it  all,  all  to  Him  I  owe." 

There  are  left,  beside  the  husband  and  children, 
one  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Bertha  Porter  Dillon,  her 
husband  and  little  son,  Gordon,  the  only  great- 
grandchild; also  many  relatives  and  friends.  To 
all  who  knew  her,  the  life  that  has  just  gone  on,  will 
be  a  source  of  blessing,  because  of  her  work  of  faith, 
her  lal^.or  of  love  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  God  our 
Father.  Surely  the  Lord  is  gathering  His  crowned 
jewels. 

The  funeral  was  held  at  the  Friends  Church, 
Raisin  Center,  Michigan,  on  Monday  afternoon,  four 
of  the  nephews  acting  as  pallbearers.  Edward 
Mott,  of  Cleveland,  conducted  the  service,  assisted 
by  Howard  Moore,  of  Ypsilanti,  and  Major  J.  H. 
Cole,  of  Adrian.  The  text  was  taken  from  Galatians 
2 :20,  ''  The  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  in 


i84         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

the  faith."  The  faith  which  is  in  the  Son  of  God, 
who  loved  us  and  gave  Himself  to  us.  He  dwelt  on 
the  thought  that  only  the  power  of  God,  manifest  in 
the  life  through  faith,  can  bring  victory.  Burial  took 
place  at  the  Friends  cemetery  in  Raisin. 


The  above  obituary  was  prepared  by  her  two 
nieces,  Elizabeth  Strang  and  Clara  A.  Baker.  At  a 
reunion,  a  short  time  before  her  decease,  she  re- 
peated in  manifest  tenderness,  the  following  express 
and  comprehensive  stanzas,  which  none  of  the  com- 
pany had  ever  heard  her  repeat,  or  were  aware  that 
she  knew : 

Beyond  this  world  of  hopes  and  fears, 
Beyond  this  life  of  grief  and  tears, 

There  is  a  region  fair. 
It  knows  no  change  and  no  decay, 
No  night,  but  one  eternal  day. 

Will  you  be  there? 

Its  glorious  gates  are  closed  to  sin, 
Naught  that's  impure  can  enter  in, 

To  mar  its  beauty  rare. 
Upon  that  bright  eternal  shore. 
Earth's  bitter  curse  is  known  no  more. 

Will  you  be  there?    Will  you  be  there? 

No  drooping  form,  no  tearful  eye, 
No  hoary  head,  no  weary  sigh, 

No  pain,  no  grief,  no  care. 
But  joys  which  mortals  may  not  know. 
Like  a  calm  river  ever  flow. 

Will  vou  be  there? 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  185 

Will  you  be  there?    You  shall,  you  must, 
If  hating  sin,  in  Christ  you  trust, 

Who  did  the  way  prepare. 
Still  doth  His  voice  sound  sweetly  "Come;" 
I  am  the  way.    I'll  lead  you  home. 

With  Me  you  shall  be  there. 

Thus  speaks  our  loved  departed  one  as  I  pen  the 
closing  words  of  the  incidents  of  my  life  work.  Con- 
scious of  her  hallowed  influence  all  these  memorable 
years  of  earthly  pilgrimage,  and  of  the  Lord's  good 
hand,  in  guidance  and  counsel,  accepted  in  the  Be- 
loved.   The  grace  of  our  Lord  be  with  you  all. 


SERMONS  AND  PAPERS 


"  It  is  good  to  be  here." — Luke  9  :33. 

JESUS  of  Nazareth  had  called  a  conference  com- 
posed of  delegates,  three  of  whom  were  selected 
from  the  twelve  apostles,  Peter,  John  and  James, 
one  from  heaven,  Elijah,  one  from  the  grave,  Moses, 
and  the  Trinity,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  the 
purpose  being  to  discuss  a  great  subject  in  which 
heaven  and  earth  were  interested,  and  of  which  a 
clear  conception  might  be  had.  Jesus  opened  this 
conference  with  prayer,  during  which  a  marvelous 
manifestation  of  the  divine  glory  and  celestial  light 
enveloped  His  person,  called  The  Transfiguration. 
There  is  no  record  of  the  words  of  that  petition,  but 
evidently  it  embraced  the  subject  for  which  the  con- 
ference was  called,  viz. :  "  His  decease,  which  he 
should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem."  This  must  be 
understood,  and  the  testimony  heard  by  the  three 
delegates  from  earth,  Peter,  James  and  John.  There 
were  two  men  talking  with  Jesus,  the  Presiding  Of- 
ficer of  the  conference. 

187 


i88  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Let  us  hear  J^Ioses'  testimony :  Fifteen  hundred 
years  ago  God  called  me  to  lead  His  people  out  of 
Egypt,  but  not  until  He  instituted  the  Passover,  and 
I  followed  His  directions.  For  he  said,  "  When  I 
see  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over  you,"  and  this  He  did. 
Then  through  the  Red  Sea  He  led  us,  and  when  we 
reached  the  foot  of  Sinai  He  called  me  to  meet  Him 
on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  that  I  might  have  audi- 
ence with  Him.  And  this  continued  for  forty  days, 
and  then  he  showed  me  the  body  of  heaven  in  His 
clearness  and  distinctness.  This  is  He,  Jesus  is  our 
passover,  who  will  accomplish  His  decease  at  Jeru- 
salem. During  that  interview  there  was  given  to 
me  a  very  definite  pattern  of  a  tabernacle,  that  I 
should  build  and  pitch  in  the  wilderness,  with  the 
repeated  injunction  that  I  should  make  it  according 
to  the  pattern  shown  me  on  the  mount,  which  was 
a  shadow  of  good  things  to  come.  This  I  did  per- 
fectly, and  when  the  furniture  was  placed  in  divine 
order  it  showed  a  complete  cross,  a  pattern  of  the 
decease  that  He  will  accomplish  at  Jerusalem,  and 
here  in  this  Person  is  the  true  tabernacle  which  God 
has  pitched,  and  not  man.  He  ordered  me  to  put  in 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  the  tables  of  the  Law, 
Aaron's  rod  that  budded,  and  a  pot  of  manna. 

Here,  in  this  Person,  is  the  covenant  kept,  the 
Rod  that  budded.    After  His  decease.  He  shall  rise 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  189 

again,  the  pot  of  Manna,  Bread  from  heaven.  This 
decease  shall  be  for  the  remission  of  sins.  He  is  the 
Sin  Offering,  Trespass  Offering,  Burnt  Offering, 
Meat  Offering  and  Peace  Offering.  In  that  decease 
all  these  are  met  in  the  one  Offering,  made  once  for 
all,  forever. 

As  I  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so 
must  this  Person,  Son  of  Man,  Son  of  God,  be  lifted 
up  at  Jerusalem.  The  name  of  the  Lord  was  pro- 
claimed to  me,  saying,  "  The  Lord,  the  Lord  God, 
merciful  and  gracious,  long  suffering,  and  abundant 
in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands, 
forgiving  iniquity,  transgression  and  sin,  and  that 
will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty,  this  is  He  before 
us.  Called  from  the  grave  where  God  buried  me, 
to  take  part  in  the  discussion.  I  hereby  certify  that 
this  is  my  true  testimony  as  received  while  having 
audience  with  the  Father  concerning  this  His  Son. 

Elijah,  what  is  thy  testimony,  that  in  the  mouth 
of  two  witnesses  every  word  may  be  established  ? 
''  Well,  God  called  me  to  act  as  a  representative 
prophet  to  cite  us  to  the  prophetic  testimony,  as 
foretold  concerning  this  Person  before  us.  I  have 
been  in  heaven  896  years,  from  whence  comes  all 
prophecy,  and  learned  that  from  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world  there  was  in  the  councils  of 
heaven,  as  if  it  had  been  a  lamb  slain.    Moses,  God's 


igo         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

servant,  had  prophesied  that  God  would  raise  up  a 
Prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy  brethren  Hke 
unto  me;  unto  Him  shall  ye  hearken.  Not  a  bone 
shall  be  broken.  My  own  familiar  friend  hath  lifted 
up  his  heel  against  me ;  for  thy  sake  I  have  borne 
reproach.  Reproach  hath  broken  my  heart.  The 
stone  which  the  builders  refused  is  become  the  head- 
stone of  the  corner,  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  for  a 
rock  of  offense.  His  back  and  cheeks  to  the  smiters, 
who  plucked  off  His  hair.  His  visage  marred  more 
than  any  man,  despised,  rejected  of  men,  a  Man  of 
Sorrows  acquainted  with  grief,  stricken,  smitten  of 
God,  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  bruised  for 
our  iniquities,  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed. 
Dumb,  he  openeth  not  His  mouth ;  for  us  was  He 
stricken.  Make  His  grave  with  the  wicked,  and 
the  rich  in  His  death.  God  shall  see  the  travail  of 
His  soul,  and  be  satisfied,  and  justify  many.  Pour 
out  His  soul  unto  death,  prolong  His  days,  make  in- 
tercession for  the  transgressors. 

*'A11  this  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  decease  that  He 
shall  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  I  am  here  to  con- 
firm and  reaffirm  this  as  the  spirit  of  prophecy, 
which  is  the  soul  of  it  all.  But  hark!  what  is  this 
that  breaks  the  heavens  and  falls  upon  our  ears? 
'This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased,  hear  Him,  three  witnesses." 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  191 

Conclusive  testimony  of  highest  authority.  It  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here,  in  the  presence  of  the  She- 
kina  discussion  ended,  adjournment,  all  gone  but 
Jesus  only. 

Report  of  Peter :  "  We  have  followed  no  cun- 
ningly devised  fable.  We  were  eye-witnesses  of  His 
Majesty,  and  heard  from  the  excellent  glory,  when 
we  were  with  Him  in  the  holy  mount.  '  This  is  my 
beloved  Son.'  This  is  the  fulfillment  of  the  sure 
word  of  prophecy  which  came  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
We  are  redeemed  not  with  corruptible  things,  as 
silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ.    A  Lamb  without  blemish  or  spot." 

Report  of  John :  "The  Word  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  His  glory,  the  glory 
as  of  the  only  Begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace 
and  truth,  that  which  was  from  the  beginning  which 
we  have  heard,  which  we  have  seen  with  our  own 
eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon,  and  our  hands 
have  handled  of  the  Word  of  life,  for  the  life  was 
manifested,  and  we  have  seen  it,  that  which  we  have 
seen  and  heard,  declare  we  unto  you.  Therefore, 
the  decease  which  was  accomplished  at  Jerusalem. 
The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's  only  begotten  Son, 
cleanseth  from  all  sin." 

Report  of  James :  "As  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ 
whom  He  denominated  Son  of  Thunder.     Elect  ac- 


192          Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

cording  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God,  the  Father, 
through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience, 
and  sprinkHng  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  thus  be- 
getting unto  a  living  hope,  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  all  this  by  the  decease 
He  accomplished  at  Jerusalem." 

Conclusion  of  the  Conference :  Other  foundation 
can  no  man  lay  than  that  which  is  laid,  that  is,  Jesus 
crucified.  Brother,  believe  it,  receive  it  in  all  its 
saving  power.    It  is  good  to  be  here. 


ATTITUDE   AND    BLESSING 
Matthew  5:3-12. 

THAT  which  commonly  goes  under  the  head  of 
''The  Beatitudes," should  be  reversed,  viz  :  ''The 
Attitudes  to  be."  These  are  the  prelude  to  Christ's 
sermon  on  the  mount.  Great  teachers  often  preface 
their  sermons  with  a  preliminary  subject  that  is 
up-to-date.  The  road  to  discipleship  is  an  up-to-date 
matter,  which  is  necessary  to  know  and  to  be.  There 
must  be  life,  to  live  a  disciple's  life  with,  and  this 
prelude  gives  the  necessary  attitude  requisite  for 
that  life,  and  insures  God's  blessing  on  them.  Right 
beginning  on  the  foundation  which  standeth  sure, 
brings  assurance.  The  bottom  step  is  as  necessary 
as  any  other.  "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for 
theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven." 

The  first  thing  to  know  is,  that  nothing  but  pov- 
erty can  describe  a  life  without  God,  without  Christ, 
that  sin  robs  of  innocense  and  incurs  guilt,  pauper- 
izes the  spirit,  separates  from  God. 

To  come  into  the  overwhelming  fact  that  we  are 
paupers,  and  have  nothing  worthy  of  God's  favor, 
Jesus  says  will  command  God's  blessing  and  give 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.    His  favor  is  to  the  poor  in 

193 

14 


194         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

spirit  ;  confess  this,  and  the  blessing  is  sure.  It  is 
His  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom.  Make 
your  pauper's  plea  today,  to  the  Commissioner  of 
the  Poor,  for  admission  to  the  pauper  home,  and 
you  shall  be  blest. 

*' Blessed  are  they  that  mourn,  for  they  shall  be 
comforted." 

Your  poverty  and  your  sin  cause  mourning,  grief. 
Godly  sorrow,  brokenness  of  spirit,  a  load  of  guilt 
is  upon  you,  your  countenance  is  sad.  Listen :  They 
shall  be  comforted.  He  knows  what  you  need,  com- 
fort, the  load  removed,  sins  forgiven,  peace  instead 
of  war,  quiet  instead  of  confusion. 

The  writer  stopped  on  a  Christmas  eve  for  a 
night's  lodging,  many  years  ago,  at  the  Farmers' 
Hotel,  at  Bloomington,  Illinois.  The  weather  was 
cold,  the  mattress  hard,  covering  thin.  I  passed  a 
suffering,  sleepless  night.  What  I  needed  was  a 
sufficiency  of  comforts  for  a  covering.  Your  cor- 
rect attitudes  will  insure  them.  They  shall  be  com- 
forted. Oh,  what  comfort  God  has  to  give  to  the 
grieved  spirit.  Try  it,  brother,  try  it,  and  get  the 
blessing. 

"  Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall  inherit 
the  earth."  Meekness  is  a  commendable  attitude 
of  spirit.  The  meek  desire  knowledge,  strive  after 
it;    with  all  their  getting  get  understanding.     The 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  195 

meek  will  He  teach  of  His  way.  The  meek  will 
He  guide  in  His  paths.  He  wishes  to  know  what 
he  is  here  for,  what  the  purpose  of  his  being.  What 
is  my  inheritance.  He  longs  for  the  inheritance  that 
shall  banish  pauperism,  and  give  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  Jesus  says  he  shall  inherit  the  earth  ; 
the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness;   the   saints   shall    inherit   the    earth. 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  do  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled."  Hunger  and 
thirst  are  evidences  of  health ;  want  of  them  signi- 
fies a  disordered  system,  conditions  bad.  The  dis- 
ciple must  be  hungry  and  thirsty  for  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  and  this  attitude  insures  filling,  im- 
puting, imparting  and  inplanting  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ  in  the  heart  and  life  of  the  disciple. 
Christ  is  his  bread  and  water  of  life,  to  the  full.  He 
that  eateth  Me  shall  live  by  me.  Who  so  eateth  my 
flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life.  A 
high  privilege  to  a  hungry  attitude,  feed  on  Him. 

"  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy."  An  unmerciful  spirit  and  discipleship  never 
can  go  together;  neither  can  blessing  attend  such. 
Jesus  knew  where  to  place  this  attitude  between 
justification  and  a  pure  heart.  He  knew  that  the 
temptation  to  be  overbearing  in  spirit  toward  those 
who  do  not  come  up  to  our  standard  and  to  strike 


196         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

hard  at  them,  was  contrary  to  the  life  of  a  disciple, 
and  to  such  he  implied  they  can  not  obtain  mercy. 
On  the  other  hand  a  merciful  spirit  insures  God's 
mercy.  When  Peter  inquired  of  Jesus  how  often  he 
should  forgive,  the  answer  implied  constantly.  When 
the  lord  forgave  the  whole  debt  of  his  servant,  it 
was  magnanimous,  and  when  that  servant  refused 
forgiveness  to  his  small  creditor,  it  was  pusilani- 
mous;  he  could  not  obtain  mercy.  The  merciful 
shall  obtain  mercy.     Disciple,  beware. 

"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God."  There  is  heart  condition,  purity  within,  af- 
fections pure.  Cleansed  from  all  filthiness  of  the 
flesh  and  spirit,  this  attitude  gives  an  assurance  we 
shall  see  God.  A  life  insurance  in  the  triune  God 
shall  see  him  as  he  is.  Cleansed  from  defilement, 
subsequent  to  regeneration.  These  shall  ascend  unto 
the  hill  of  the  Lord,  having  clean  hands  (outward 
life)  and  pure  hearts  (inward  life),  shall  see  God. 

''  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be 
called  the  children  of  God."  A  peacemaking  busi- 
ness is  the  disciple's  calling,  beseeching  man  in 
Christ  instead  of  being  reconciled  to  God.  This  is 
the  business  in  hand  for  the  children  of  God.  A  holy 
calling.  Discipleship  culminates  here,  finds  its  field 
of  operation  here.  The  fruits  of  righteousness  is 
sown  in  peace,  of  them  that  make  peace.    The  king- 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  197 

dom  of  heaven  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteous- 
ness, and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 
"  Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for  right- 
eousness sake,  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
Here  lies  the  test  of  discipleship.  The  soldier 
under  fire  of  the  enemy,  the  warrior  maligned  falsely, 
no  friend  to  grace.  No  just  measure  of  fidelity.  The 
wicked  plotteth  against  the  just,  and  gnasheth  upon 
him  with  his  teeth.  Rejoice  here,  because  you  are 
partakers  of  the  sufiferings  of  Christ.  Reward  for 
all  this  is  sure,  for  heaven  sees  and  knows.  Long 
suffering  is  the  proof  of  true  discipleship,  the  test 
and  fact  of  faith.  These  are  the  attitudes  of  being, 
and  doing,  that  Jesus  embodied  in  that  wonderful 
prelude  before  giving  in  the  sermon  proper.  His  rules 
in  His  uniform  discipline  for  Christian  living.  The 
poor  in  spirit,  the  mourner,  the  meek,  the  hungry 
and  thirsty,  the  merciful,  the  pure  in  heart,  the 
peacemakers,  the  persecuted,  are  assured  of  the 
blessing  of  heaven  upon  them  here,  and  in  the  here- 
after. Sinner,  believe  it,  believer,  receive  it,  and  re- 
joice in  the  showers  of  blessings  nine  times  repeated 
by  the  Teacher  sent  from  God.  This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  hear  Him.  ^ 


FLOWING   RIVERS 

"All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea,  and  yet  the  sea  is  not  full : 
into  the  place  from  whence  the  rivers  come,  thither  they  return 
again. — Ecele  1 :7. 

OUR  text  is  the  words  of  the  Preacher,  he  who 
sought  to  find  acceptable  words :  words  of  truth, 
that  are  as  goods,  and  nails,  fastened  by  the  master 
of  assemblies,  given  from  one  Shepherd.  If  these 
words  had  no  deeper  significance  than  the  super- 
ficial, they  are  tremendously  true.  They  appeal 
alike  to  the  learned  and  to  the  unlearned,  the  child 
and  the  adult.  Rivers  do  run  to  the  sea,  God's  res- 
ervoir for  their  waters.  But  there  can  be  no  rivers 
without  springs,  and  no  springs  without  hidden 
fountains  of  living  waters ;  invisible  fountains,  feed- 
ers of  the  springs  and  rivers,  and  then  to  prevent 
an  overflow  of  the  sea,  the  vapors  rise,  and  the  sea 
breeze  carries  them  back  from  whence  they  came. 
The  rivers  are  the  veins  of  life  for  the  land,  life  cur- 
rents, as  necessary  as  the  blood  currents  of  the  hu- 
man body,  without  which  there  can  be  no  breath- 
throbs,  no  life. 

Surely  the  Preacher  has  the  key  to  nature's  truth, 
as  a  law  of  perpetuation  if  it  be  undisturbed.  Rivers 

198 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  i  99 

must  have  channels  through  which  to  flow,  day  and 
night,  summer  and  winter.  It  is  true  the  Preacher 
did  not  elaborate  on  his  premises,  perhaps  as  to  the 
depth  of  his  text,  and  may  have  left  it  to  be  ex- 
plained in  the  latter  days,  when  in  the  fullness  of 
time  another  Preacher  should  take  it  into  the  spir- 
itual realm  and  elaborate  the  essense  of  the  deeper 
significance  of  the  source  and  force  of  springs  of 
divine  life,  and  the  rivers  outflowing  therefrom,  who 
under  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  possession 
of  the  Temple.  A  spring  of  spiritual  life  is  the  re- 
sult of  a  hidden  fountain,  breaking  the  surface  in 
an  outgoing  and  an  outflowing,  taking  its  course 
onward  in  increased  volume  according  to  the  tribu- 
tary rills,  and  rivulets  that  enter  the  channel.  Jesus 
taught  very  definitely  this  need,  that  out  of  the 
heart  is  the  spring  of  life,  the  flow  of  living  water; 
out  of  the  heart  are  the  issues  of  life,  that  the  heart 
shall  be  as  a  watered  garden,  flowing  toward  the 
sea.  Perfect  love  flows  on  to  the  sea  of  humanity, 
and  yet  there  is  room.  The  fountain  hidden  is  in 
the  cleft  of  the  Rock,  the  smitten  rock,  from  whence 
the  waters  gush  out.  The  cleansed  and  sanctified 
church  is  the  channel  God  made  and  God  directed 
to  a  sea  of  lost  humanity,  a  great  deep,  and  their 
work  and  worship  like  the  vapor,  returning  to  the 
source  of  the  river,  return  as  sweet  incense  to  the 


200         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

place  from  whence  it  came.  It  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  their  heartthrob  in  the  divine  life,  as  in  the 
natural,  the  life  currents  must  be  active.  God's 
design  is  that  His  church  shall  have  life,  abundant 
life,  as  manifest  as  the  flov^ing  current  of  the  rivers 
of  the  land.  The  river  channel  is  clear.  God  w^ill 
fill  it  from  His  invisible  resources,  and  enliven 
it  w^ith  times  of  refreshing,  by  His  own  blessed  pres- 
ence. The  river  is  a  receiver  and  conductor  at  the 
same  time;  so  should  he  be  who  is  filled  with  the 
Spirit.  A  desert  has  no  rivers,  because  it  has  no 
springs.  A  sinful  life  has  no  springs  of  deep-toned 
life,  no  gushing  love  going  up  to  God,  no  incense 
from  the  heart,  no  devotion  to  a  true  life.  The 
sands  of  life  are  as  dry  as  the  treeless  desert,  no 
track  of  light,  no  lamp  for  his  feet.  Over  against 
this  and  before  his  eyes  he  may  read  this  on  the 
guideboard :  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
Life.  Him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  way 
cast  out."  God's  river  of  love  is  now  flowing  to- 
ward thee.  He  has  the  spring  of  life  for  thee.  If 
any  man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink 
of  the  river  of  God's  pleasure.  There  is  a  river  the 
streams  thereof  make  glad  the  city  of  God. 

I  will  even  make  a  way  in  the  wilderness,  and 
rivers  in  the  desert.  Out  of  His  inward  parts  shall 
flow  rivers  of  living  water. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  201 

Since  the  Holy  Ghost  has  come  because  Jesus  has 
been  glorified.  These  rivers  have  been  ready  to 
flood  the  life  of  the  believer,  onto  the  sea  and  back 
to  the  fountain  of  love.  The  God  of  love  and  life, 
present  and  future.  Brother,  get  the  flowing  river, 
and  let  it  run.  The  sea  is  not  full;  the  reservoir  is 
infinite  in  capacity ;  there  is  yet  room  for  the  course 
of  thy  river  and  its  return. 


THE  NATURAL  MAN  AND  THE  SPIRITUAL 

MAN 

^^  L^YE  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
^^  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him, 
but  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  His  Spirit, 
for  the  spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea,  the  deep 
things  of  God," — I  Corinthians  2  :9-10. 

The  Scriptures  being  a  divine  revelation,  draws 
many  distinctive  lines  concerning  human  lives,  be- 
tween the  natural  and  the  spiritual.  The  definite 
declaration  that  all  have  sinned  must  be  a  settled 
fact,  and  can  not  be  denied.  Both  observation  and 
personal  consciousness  must  admit  it.  That  the  first 
clause  of  my  text  applies  to  the  sinful,  disobedient 
and  obstinate,  is  evident,  and  that  such  a  condition 
knows  of  no  personal  revelation  to  the  conscience  of 
acceptance  with  God.  He  has  no  true  conception  of 
the  things  God  has  in  store  for  them  that  love  Him. 
Hence  the  truth,  "  Eye  hath  not  seen."  Revelation 
determines  a  fact  and  settles  it.  Further  proof  is 
not  needed.  Revelation  settles  the  fact  that  God 
has  the  forgiveness  of  sin  and  the  new  birth  prepared 
for  every  penitent  heart,  and  even  this  can  not  be- 
come a  settled  fact,  without  a  definite  experience  by 

202 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  203 

the  revelation,  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  When  this  is 
known  as  a  revealed  fact,  love  begins  to  flow  out 
to  Him  who  prepared  and  granted  it.  The  deep 
searcher  of  the  things  of  God  makes  this  manifest, 
for  He  is  the  highest  authority  in  the  universe.  To 
efifect  this,  God  prepared  an  offering  for  sin  and 
uncleanness,  and  it  is  the  prerogative  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  magnify  this  offering,  the  one  atonement 
in  the  mind  and  consciousness  of  all  those  who  truly 
love  God.  There  can  be  no  regeneration  definitely 
known  without  the  Holy  Spirit  magnifying  the 
merits  of  the  precious  blood.  It  becomes  absolutely 
incumbent  that  definiteness  be  known  at  this  point. 
This  means  more  than  a  sense  of  right  and  wrong, 
for  this  runs  in  human  life  everywhere,  according 
to  various  standards,  whether  in  the  saved  or  the  un- 
saved. 

The  birth  from  above  must  be  a  certainty,  else 
true  love  to  God  can  not  be  known  or  perceived. 
Having  this  experience  settled,  there  comes  a  new 
revelation  of  a  vast  spiritual  realm,  that  lies  before 
the  babe  in  Christ.  A  babe,  soon  after  birth,  begins 
faintly  to  comprehend  what  a  large  world  it  has 
been  born  into,  and  is  constantly  making  new  dis- 
coveries of  the  sources  of  nourishment,  and  com- 
fort in  store  for  its  development  and  growth ;  new 
discoveries  are  constantly  revealed. 


204         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

In  the  spiritual  realm  a  Spirit-born  babe  will  dis- 
cover greater  depths  and  heights  in  the  things  of 
grace,  and  the  things  that  hinder  life  and  growth. 
In  the  natural,  babes  can  not  beget  offspring,  neither 
in  the  spiritual  can  the  justified  be  considered  of  full 
age  to  bear  abundant  fruit.  The  revelation  of  car- 
nality comes  by  the  spirit  of  God,  and  by  the  fur- 
ther revelation  comes  the  fact  that  the  gospel  pro- 
vides for  the  destruction  thereof;  does  not  purpose 
to  suppress  it  and  bring  it  into  subjection,  but  God 
has  provided  a  crucifixion  of  the  vile  affections  and 
lusts,  and  plant  in  its  stead  the  love  of  God.  The 
prerogative  of  a  living  Redeemer,  upon  entire  con- 
secration, is  to  send  the  sin-killing  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  to  execute  the  sentence  of  death  upon 
the  old  sinful  nature,  God's  capital  punishment  for 
the  carnal  mind,  a  mighty  thing  prepared  for  them 
that  love  Him ;  hence  comes  a  life  of  purity  and 
power,  fruit-bearing. 

To  this  man  or  woman  the  Scriptures  become 
God's  revealed  will  and  word,  and  that  record  is 
accepted  in  its  entirety,  without  stopping  to  ques- 
tion the  assurance  of  prophecy.  The  obligation  to 
obey,  divine  protection,  along  with  divine  provision, 
are  alike  dear  to  the  trusting  soul.  Eternal  things, 
though  unseen,  are  assured  revelations  of  the  things 
prepared  for  them  that  love  God.     Herewith  comes 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  205 

the  unquestionable  revelation  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead  and  of  eternal  judgment:  That  heaven  is 
prepared  for  them  that  love  Him,  and  hell  is  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  followers;  that  the 
Church  is  Christ's  purchased  possession ;  that  he  is 
the  Bridegroom,  and  she  is  the  Lamb's  wife,  his 
cherished  helpmate  in  conquest  for  souls ;  that  her 
Lord  is  her  righteousness ;  she  is  made  clean  by  the 
virtue  of  the  precious  blood ;  that  for  her  is  granted 
the  certainty  of  His  coming,  for  his  own,  to  be  for- 
ever with  Him ;  that  she  is  to  overcome  by  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb  and  the  word  of  her  testimony.  To 
neglect  this  great  salvation,  insures  the  condemna- 
tion of  God.  To  reject  it  is  a  hi'gh  crime  against 
Him.  To  despise  it  is  the  height  of  criminality,  and 
if  persisted  in  insures  the  second  death,  the  capital 
punishment  of  Divine  government,  which  is  eternal. 
The  very  antipodes  of  the  things  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  him. 

To  induce  His  own  to  remain  steadfast,  unmov- 
able,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  He 
has  revealed  a  world  to  come,  with  a  deathless,  painless, 
body  resurrected,  made  immortal  by  Divine  deliver- 
ance from  corruption  and  decay,  wrought  by  Him 
who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  To  give  the 
human  body  to  the  adversary,  and  the  soul  to  God 
is  but  a  half  salvation,  and  the  very  thought  is  ab- 


2o6         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

horent  to  every  devout  reader  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
contrary  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus  Christ.  By  all 
that  gives  hope,  by  all  that  makes  life  worth  living, 
by  all  that  is  inspiring,  by  all  that  is  cheering,  by 
all  that  is  holy,  by  all  that  is  heavenly,  by  all  that 
is  revealed  in  God's  will,  see  that  you  do  not  miss 
the  mark,  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God, 
in  Jesus  Christ.  Get  a  clear  vision  of  the  Christ 
of  God,  of  Calvary,  of  the  empty  tomb,  the  highly- 
exalted  Saviour,  the  pre-eminent  One;  fasten  your 
faith  on  Him,  through  Whom  comes  the  things  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him,  and  let  Him 
sanctify  and  keep  unto  the  day  of  redemption. 


GOSPEL   TEMPERANCE   SERMON 

"  The  thistle  that  was  in  Lebanon  sent  to  the  cedar  that 
was  in  Lebanon,  saying,  '  Give  me  thy  daughter  to  my  son  to 
wife.'"— II  Kings  14:9. 

THESE  words  were  uttered  in  rebuke  by  a  king 
who  would  describe  the  wicked  poHcy  of  another 
king,  in  making  an  unholy  alliance  with  evil  work- 
ers, in  order  to  strengthen  his  wicked  policy. 

A  veritable  proposition  of  marriage.  According 
to  Oriental  custom  the  proposal  comes  from  the 
father,  in  behalf  of  his  son,  and  is  made  to  the  father 
of  the  daughter  for  his  consent  to  the  union  in  the 
bonds  of  wedlock.  The  parties  are  four  in  number, 
father  and  son  and  father  and  daughter.  Under  the 
symbol  of  thistle  and  cedar  of  Lebanon,  that  is,  a 
tall,  straight,  sweet-scented  cedar  a  hundred  feet 
in  height,  is  asked  for  a  bride  to  a  thorny  thistle 
two  and  one-half  feet  in  height,  to  join  hands  in  the 
covenant  of  marriage ;  an  awful  stoop  downward  to 
make  it  possible  to  clasp  hands  and  answer  "I  will." 
A  most  ludicrous  position  for  a  bride  and  groom, 
and  to  sight  and  fact,  a  horrible  proffer.  Can  a  par- 
allel to  this  be  found  in  this  twentieth  century?  Let 
us  see.  The  liquor  traffic,  father  of  the  American 
saloon,  sent  to  the  Christian  people  of  the  State  of 

207 


2o8  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Michigan,  saying,  "  Give  me  your  daughter,  Chris- 
tian Civilization,  to  my  son,  the  saloon,  to  wife." 
An  exact  parallel.  The  purpose  is  that  they  may  be 
married  and  keep  house  together.  That  is  the  prop- 
osition, a  brassy,  foolhardy,  senseless,  loveless 
scheme  to  join  in  discord  these  inappropriate  char- 
acters for  the  destruction  of  that  which  is  noble  and 
uplifting.  Strange  that  such  a  consummation  should 
ever  obtain  or  take  a  legal  form ;  that  a  lease  of  life 
for  the  liquor  traffic  could  ever  be  bought  and  per- 
petrated with  the  consent  and  aid  of  the  voters  of 
the  citizens  of  a  civilized  commonwealth.  A  mar- 
riage fee  of  one  thousand  dollars  a  year,  more  or 
less,  has  argued  for  its  accomplishment,  and  the  law- 
makers of  the  State  have  provided  for  it  and  given 
directions  for  its  completion.  Married  for  money, 
a  marvelous  hybrid  child  of  perdition,  an  evil  whose 
fruit  is  corruption.  Let  us  see,  a  thrifty  (the  saloon) 
thistle  has  eighty  heads,  three  hundred  seeds  each, 
making  the  crop  two  thousand  four  hundred  seeds 
the  first  year,  and  the  second  crop  would  be  five 
hundred  and  seventy-six  millions,  a  significant  illus- 
tration of  the  evil  fruit  of  the  liquor  saloon  in  any 
community  or  city.  A  deadly  nightshade,  a  place 
of  debauchery  behind  the  screen.  The  license  or 
tax  laws  of  every  kind  do  not  in  any  sense  make 
for  sobriety,  neither  can  they  be  classed  as  aiding 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  209 

in  the  security  of  life,  liberty,  or  the  pursuit  of  hap- 
piness. Loyalty  to  the  family  home,  to  the  State  and 
to  God,  demand  that  the  traffic  should  be  dethroned, 
made  an  outlaw,  as  it  really  is.  The  license  or  tax 
law  plan  of  the  state  is  this:  The  applicant  comes 
to  the  proper  officer  and  says,  "  I  purpose  to  open  a 
saloon  for  the  sale  of  liquor,  at  such  a  place ;  please 
make  the  papers  according  to  the  provision  of  the 
law,  and  we  will  sign  them,  with-two  bondsmen,  and 
the  official  complies,  takes  the  fee,  and  the  saloon 
man  takes  his  credentials,  starts  his  business,  and  is 
protected  by  the  law  as  much  as  the  parties  under  a 
marriage  covenant.  In  fact,  he  may  draw  from  the 
treasury  of  the  home,  daily,  and  not  be  molested.  He 
may  make  a  man  drunk,  and  go  scot  free,  while  his 
customer  is  liable  to  arrest  and  fine,  and  possibly 
imprisonment.  Verily  the  marriage  of  the  thistle 
and  the  cedar  has  been  consummated  and  they  have 
gone  to  housekeeping  together.  The  offspring  of 
this  wicked  alliance  are  a  maimed  set  of  cripples, 
mentally,  morally  and  physically.  They  that  gave 
them  birth  are  like  unto  them.  Is  this  the  function  of 
government?  Is  this  the  ripe  wisdom  of  the  law- 
makers? Is  this  a  mark  of  political  economy?  How 
long  shall  the  wicked  rule  and  the  people  mourn? 
How  long  shall  these  schools  of  vice  be  protected  by 
law  and  be  more  numerous  than  those  of  the  com- 


16 


2IO         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

mon  schools,  the  high  schools  and  the  colleges?  In 
every  city  that  decides  to  be  wet,  local  option  is  crip- 
pled on  every  side  from  the  license  territory,  by  de- 
termined effort  on  the  part  of  the  liquor  interests. 
Good  people  are  blinded  by  the  cry  *'  High  Taxes." 

Shall  we  not  rally  around  the  flag  of  truth,  and 
cause  Old  Glory  to  float  over  a  sober  people  who 
shall  abolish  forever  the  traffic  in  intoxicating  drinks, 
and  put  an  universal  ban  upon  it?  Rally  around 
the  flag  boys,  rally  around  the  flag. 

Duty  demands  it.  Patriotism  demands  it.  Sanc- 
tified common  sense  demands  it.  God  forbid  that 
political  idolatry  shall  blind  us  longer,  but  cause  us 
to  see  that  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin 
is  a  reproach  to  any  people. 

Let  the  decree  go  forth  that  whosoever  shall  bow 
down  to  the  golden  calf  of  the  liquor  traffic,  shall 
come  under  a  fire  that  shall  go  forth  and  tread 
down  the  thistle.  (  See  II  Kings  14:9,  last  clause.) 
Let  this  command  go  forth,  "  Cease  to  do  evil  and 
learn  to  do  well,  then  shall  thy  righteousness  go 
forth  as  brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a 
lamp  that  burneth."    God  speed  the  day. 


THE  PASTOR'S  INNER  LIFE 

THE  pastor,  though  he  is  not  called  upon  to  be 
a  better  person  than  any  other  disciple  of 
Christ,  is  naturally  expected  to  be  a  representative, 
a  typical  Christian,  for  to  him  men  come  to  drink  as 
to  a  spring.  Therefore,  there  should  be  in  him  an 
abounding  spiritual  life.  He  should  know  beyond  a 
doubt  of  a  real  conversion  of  soul,  the  birth  of  the 
Spirit,  certified  to  his  consciousness  by  divine  power, 
leaving  not  a  tinge  of  doubt  at  that  point.  He  whose 
business  it  is  to  convert  men  to  Christ,  should  him- 
self be  converted.  He  who  is  to  guide  believers 
should  himself  be  a  man  of  faith,  and  indeed  to  be  all 
that  a  pastor  ought  to  be.  He  should  be  a  perfect 
man,  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God.  He  should  know 
of  receiving  the  definite  baptism  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  as  a  supernatural  work  bringing  in  perfect 
love,  for  with  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  comes  the 
love  of  God,  shed  abroad  in  the  heart.  The  pastor 
must  be  pure  in  heart  in  order  to  purify  others,  be 
taught,  then  teach  others,  become  light  and  then  en- 
lighten others,  draw  near  to  God  himself,  and  then 
induce  others  to  approach  Him.  In  short,  he  should 
be  sanctified,  and  then  strive  to  make  others  holy. 

211 


212         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

The  Christian  pastor  should  be  able  to  say  with 
the  primitive  ministers  of  Christ,  "We  have  re- 
ceived not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  Spirit 
which  is  of  God,  that  we  might  know  the  things 
that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God,  which  things  we 
speak  not  in  the  words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth 
but  which  the  Holy  Ghost  teacheth,  comparing  spir- 
itual things  with  spiritual. 

Faith  is  the  law  upon  whose  actuating  energy 
God  has  made  the  life  which  we  have  in  Him  to 
depend,  and  we  can  no  more  detach  what  we  do  in 
our  lives  from  what  we  are  in  our  souls  than  we  can 
separate  heat  or  light  from  their  essential  princi- 
ples, or  expect  to  enjoy  either  in  the  absence  of  the 
conditions  in  which  their  existence  is  involved. 

God  communicating  Himself  through  His  Spirit, 
enabled  the  first  ministers  (that  is,  endowed  them 
with  power)  to  do  the  works  that  they  did,  for  the 
triumph  of  the  Gospel.  If  a  man  then  cut  himself 
off  from  the  spring,  he  may  have  all  the  conduits 
and  the  most  scientific  system  of  irrigation,  yet  his 
garden  will  not  be  watered ;  it  will  remain  a  dry  and 
thirsty  ground.  Nbt  by  might  or  power,  but  by 
My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord.  The  spiritual  qualifica- 
tion of  a  pastor  for  his  work  lies  altogether  in  his 
relations  with  God. 

With  this  life  of  God  in  the  pastor's  soul,  there 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  213 

should  be  an  overwhelming  consciousness  of  a  di- 
vine call  to  the  ministry  of  the  Word  constantly 
ringing  in  his  mind,  to  preach  the  Gospel;  called 
and  commissioned  and  ordained,  to  keep  alive  the 
divine  gift.  "  I  put  thee  in  remembrance  that  thou 
stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  is  in  thee,"  said  Paul 
to  Timothy.  It  is  worthy  of  special  note  that  Paul 
in  nearly  all  his  epistles  prefaces  them  with  the  one 
chief  fact.  "  Servant  of  Jesus  Christ,"  "  Called  to 
be  an  apostle  "  through  the  will  of  God,  not  of  man, 
but  by  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  commandment  of  God, 
asserting  that  the  Gospel  came  not  unto  them  in 
word  only,  but  also  in  power,  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance.  To  choose  the  pas- 
tor's life  simply  as  a  profession,  falls  infinitely  be- 
low the  certification  of  being  in  line  with  God's 
Choice.  Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen 
you,  and  ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  forth  and 
bring  fruit  that  may  remain.  Whatever  acquired 
abilities  may  have  been  obtained  under  the  divine  call, 
are  to  be  laid  on  the  altar  of  consecration,  along 
with  the  humblest  possession,  with  the  meekness  of 
a  child.  The  pastor's  first  religious  duty  is  to  him- 
self and  his  own  soul.  Take  heed  to  thyself,  and 
unto  the  doctrine,  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt  save 
thyself  and  them  that  hear  thee.  Take  heed,  there- 
fore, unto  yourself,  and  to  all  the  flockover  which  the 


214  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers,  to  feed  the 
Church  of  God  which  He  hath  purchased  with  His 
own  blood.  The  pastor  thus  moves  in  a  rarer  at- 
mosphere than  other  men.  A  constant  tension  of 
soul  is  required  of  him.  He  is  not  permitted  to  as- 
cend the  mountain  and  breathe  the  easier  air  of 
lower  thought  and  pursuits,  but  he  dwells  on  the 
heights.  From  the  pulpit  he  goes  to  the  lecture- 
room,  from  the  lecture-room  to  the  bedside  of  the 
sick,  from  the  sickbed  to  the  prayermeeting,  from 
that  to  his  studies,  and  from  his  studies  to  the  pul- 
pit again.  His  yearly,  weekly,  hourly  thought  is 
mainly  on  high  spiritual  themes.  This  is  in  one 
sense  a  great  privilege,  and  in  another  a  great  trial, 
for  it  is  a  state  of  mind  that  requires  constant 
watching,  a  renewal,  lest  there  be  an  over  tension, 
lest  the  spirit  grow  dull,  the  fires  go  out,  and  the 
gift  of  God  become  dead  within  him.  The  specific 
equal  to  the  requirements  is  threefold,  viz. :  Reading 
the  Scriptures,  Meditation  and  Prayer. 

First,  Reading  the  Scriptures  —  If  a  pastor  al- 
ways comes  to  the  Bible  in  an  intellectual  and  criti- 
cal spirit,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  themes  for 
sermons  or  for  propping  up  his  theological  theories, 
he  will  deprive  his  spiritual  nature  of  its  proper 
nourishment.  It  is  a  delightful  thing  to  find  a  min- 
ister who  has  both  an  intellectual  and  a  spiritual 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  215 

apprehension  of  the  Scripture;  who  is  a  Bible  man; 
who  feeds  upon  the  hidden  manna  of  the  Word,  and 
who  is  taught  by  a  higher  wisdom  than  that  of  the 
schools.  It  is  perfectly  proper  to  select  some  plan 
for  actual  progress  in  the  understanding  of  the 
Word  of  God,  and  to  follow  in  thought  just  the 
wellings  up  into  our  hearts  of  the  spring  of  divine 
truth.  It  is  letting  God  speak  to,  and  in  us  by  His 
Word,  and  listening  to  His  voice  in  silence.  In 
reading  the  Scriptures  we  should  seek  to  find  Him 
who  is  revealed  therein,  Christ  the  Redeemer;  to 
get  a  glimpse  of  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  de- 
clared Himself  to  be  the  Bread  of  Life.  To  use  a 
homely  expression,  "A  laboring  man  needs  more 
food  than  other  men,"  so  a  man  who  labors  in  the 
Word,  requires  more  spiritual  nourishment  than 
others.  Paul,  in  Corinth,  was  in  the  center  of 
worldly  wisdom  and  trembled  for  fear,  lest  the 
preaching  of  Jesus  Christ  crucified,  should  fail  to 
be  received  as  the  wisdom  of  God. 

Second,  Meditation  —  To  the  spiritually-minded, 
meditation  brings  refreshing  to  the  soul,  as  the  dew 
on  the  grass  or  showers  on  the  thirsty  land.  After 
feeding  in  the  green  pasture  the  beast  retires  to  the 
shady  nook,  lies  down,  chews  his  food  over  again, 
and  its  inward  digestion  draws  the  virtue  of  a  full 
meal,  in  the  quietude  of  rest.    Equally  beautiful  and 


2i6         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

practical  is  it  when  God's  called,  feed  in  the  green 
pastures  of  His  Word ;  to  have  inner  digestion ; 
power  to  draw  soul  nourishment  as  he  retires  to  the 
still  waters  of  meditation.  By  it  the  pastor  gives 
attention  to  the  application  of  the  spirit  of  divine 
things,  and  fixing  and  establishing  in  the  mind  those 
divine  truths  and  principles  which  have  a  direct  in- 
fluence in  framing  a  holy  life.  A  monastic  seclusion 
is  a  distortion  of  this  duty.  It  makes  solitude  an 
end,  not  a  means.  Christ  gave  us  an  example,  when 
from  the  scenes  of  a  life  filled  with  activity,  He 
went  to  meditate  alone  on  the  mountain,  or  in  the 
desert,  and  how  much  more  do  His  servants,  espe- 
cially His  ministers,  whose  spiritual  life  needs  to  be 
replenished,  from  the  silent  communion  with  the 
unseen  springs  of  life.  To  be  alone  with  God,  and 
to  lie,  as  it  were,  in  the  shadow  of  His  presence, 
brings  a  solitary  awe.  The  soul's  vanity,  pride,  self- 
ishness, dwindle  and  the  spiritual  nature  is  deep- 
ened, purified,  strengthened. 

A  Christian  minister  should  surely,  at  times, 
thoughtfully  ask  himself,  "  Is  the  plan  of  my  life  a 
true  one  ?  Am  I  following  it  with  true  motives  ? 
Do  I  see  in  myself  the  beginning  of  selfishness,  or  a 
worldly  spirit,  or  of  ministerial  jealousy,  ambition  or 
cupidity  ?  Am  I  governed  by  a  desire  to  do  good 
to  men,  and  bring  glory  to  God  ?"     Walking  with 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  217 

God  means  real  companionship.  He  or  she  who 
thus  magnifies  this  office  will  handle  his  Master's 
goods  as  a  commission  merchant  handles  the  goods 
of  another.  The  contents  of  this  paper  have  been 
written  to  encourage  my  brethren  in  the  ministry  to 
a  right  estimate  of  both  your  privileges  and  respon- 
sibilities. May  God  greatly  enrich  you  with  the 
treasures  of  His  Word  and  the  power  of  His  Spirit. 
God  bless  you. 


THE    HOLY    SPIRIT 

Read  before  the  Ministerial  Association  at  Adrian,  Mich. 

YOUR  program  committee  has  assigned  to  me  a 
most  profound  subject,  concerning  which  we 
may  expect  to  succeed,  only  as  He  of  whom  we 
write  becomes  a  personal  helper.  We  are  to  as- 
sume that  we  are,  first  of  all,  to  recognize  the  dis- 
tinct personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  third  in  the 
Trinity  or  Tribune  God.  That  the  Trinity  is  un- 
explainable  by  human  reason  and  remains  a  mys- 
tery, we  with  child-like  simplicity  accept,  because 
substantiated  by  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Son  of 
God.  Of  the  Holy  Spirit  it  may  be  said,  that  He, 
like  the  Father,  and  the  Son,  has  the  attributes  of 
Omnipresence,  Omniscience,  Omnipotence,  Etern- 
ity, Creative  Power,  Holiness  and  Goodness,  the  di- 
vine characteristics  of  the  Godhead,  therefore,  a 
distinct  personaHty  and  occupies  a  very  important 
place  in  the  divine  economy. 

That  He  was  promised  by  prophecy,  and  by  Christ 
Himself.  The  New  Testament  distinctly  declares 
that  as  a  person.  He  has  given  and  preserved  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  He  made  choice  of  His  stenog- 
raphers, and  moved  them  by  His  peculiar  power 
and  wisdom  to  give  to  mankind  the  sacred  Scriptures  ; 

218 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  219 

and  canonized  them  with  His  own  sanction;  and  is 
constantly  using  them  with  reference  to  throwing 
Hght  upon  human  destiny  and  divine  salvation. 

In  His  creative  power  He  took  part  in  the  creation 
of  the  universe,  and  by  Him  comes  regeneration, 
the  new  creation,  the  new  birth  from  above.  He 
could  not  come  in  His  fullness  and  power  before 
Christ  was  glorified,  for  He  was  to  proceed  from 
the  Father,  and  the  Son,  after  the  ascension  of  the 
Son.  "  If  I  go  away  I  will  send  the  promise  of  the 
Father  upon  you."  It  is  He  that  magnifies  the  of- 
fering of  Jesus  Christ  once  for  all,  as  the  one  of- 
fering for  sins  forever.  That  there  were  all  through 
the  Old  Testament  types  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  each 
revealing  some  distinctive  work  of  His,  every  pray- 
erful student  of  the  Scriptures  must  acknowledge. 
The  dove  from  the  Ark  bringing  an  olive  leaf 
plucked  off;  the  Holy  Spirit  revealing  a  crucified 
Redeemer;  Abraham's  oldest  servant  seeking  a  bride 
for  Isaac ;  the  Holy  Spirit  seeking  a  bride  for  Christ ; 
the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire,  the  Holy  Spirit's  pres- 
ence to  lead  God's  own.  Water  signifying  the  fer- 
tilizing, refreshing,  cleansing,  abundant,  freely  given 
work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  return  for  complete 
consecration.  Fire,  the  enlightening,  purifying, 
scorching,  reflecting  of  the  distinct  personality. 
Wind,  the  powerful,  reviving,  independent,  sensible 


220         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

effects  of  the  unseen,  yet  present  Holy  Spirit.  Oil, 
the  Holy  Spirit  power  accompanying  entire  conse- 
cration, comforting  and  healing.  A  voice  signifying 
the  clear  impression  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  divine 
guidance.  The  seal,  the  divine  certification  of  the 
believer  of  His  acceptance,  and  standing  before  God, 
only  known  as  revealed  by  the  Spirit.  Many  other 
reference  might  be  found,  but  we  come  to  the  Gospel 
age  to  deal  with  the  personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
in  the  establishing  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  in  the 
souls  and  lives  of  men. 

The  New  Testament  or  new  Covenant  plan  of 
God  for  man's  salvation,  goes  deeper  than  all  forms 
and  ceremonies,  and  is  based  on  the  vicarious  atone- 
ment made  by  Jesus  Christ  and  His  connection  with 
the  Holy  Spirit,  as  an  ascended  and  living  God. 
John,  the  Baptist,  came  to  prepare  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord. 
In  order  to  do  this  he  bore  witness  that  the  Lamb 
of  God  should  take  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  and 
also  declared  that  He  should  baptise  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  fire.  Just  here  allow  me  to  state  that 
John's  baptism  was  that  of  repentance,  witnessed 
to  as  a  sign  by  water  baptism.  But  even  this  sank 
to  nothing  when  he  emphasized  Christ's  baptism 
with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Not  until  Jesus  died,  rose 
again  and  ascended  into  heaven,  did  Christ's  baptism 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  221 

begin,  for  Jesus  Himself  did  not  administer  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  till  after  His  ascension, 
and  the  Christian  baptism  was  that  which  began  on 
Pentecost.  John  said,  "The  same  is  He  that  bap- 
tizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  Therefore,  Christian 
baptism  was  from  heaven,  administered  by  the  liv- 
ing Son  of  God,  and  the  divinely  ordained  necessity 
for  the  child  of  God,  and  it  is  absolutely  only  Christ's 
prerogative  to  administer  it,  subsequent  to  repent- 
ance unto  life.  John,  the  Baptist,  was  the  fore- 
runner, and  not  the  follower  of  Christ,  so  the  bap- 
tism of  repentance  must  be  before  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  In  Christian  experience,  John  did  not 
magnify  his  own  work,  but  he  magnified  Christ's 
work,  especially  that  of  the  baptism  of  Christ  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  We  lay  stress  here,  because  so  lit- 
tle is  heard  in  these  days,  from  the  pulpit,  in  definite 
teaching  on  this  subject.  A  spirit-filled  ministry  is 
the  crying  demand  of  the  times.  On  the  day  of 
Pentecost  the  keynote  of  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty  was  "  repent  and  be  converted,"  that  ye 
may  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  new  covenant. 
Experience  began  then,  and  primitive  Christianity 
is  the  superabundant  need  of  the  churches  today. 
We  dwell  much  on  the  decision  for  Christ,  and  well 
we  may,  but  oh,  so  little  on  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 


222  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  forerunner  of 
Jesus  knew  the  mission  of  his  successor,  and  just 
as  remarkable  that  Jesus  knew  the  mission  of  His 
successor,  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  should  convince  of 
sin,  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment.  Of  sin, 
because  they  believe  not  on  Me,  the  highest  crime 
against  Jehovah.  Of  righteousness,  because  I  go  to 
the  Father,  because  I  am  innocent  and  holy  and 
have  pleased  Him,  and  made  it  possible  for  you  to 
be  holy.  Of  judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this 
world  is  judged.  Satan  is  cast  down,  his  kingdom 
is  to  be  dethroned  in  the  life  of  God's  own,  and  on 
him  will  the  highest  judgment  fall  at  the  last  day. 
"  My  successor  shall  teach  you  all  things  whatso- 
ever I  have  said  unto  you.  He  has  been  with  you, 
He  shall  be  in  you.  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans. 
He  shall  testify  of  me." 

These  are  a  few  of  the  main  points  that  Jesus  de- 
clared concerning  the  executor  of  the  Godhead. 
We  will  now  turn  from  the  first  four  books  of  the  new 
Testament,  the  Jesus  Books,  and  look  into  the  fifth 
book,  the  peculiarly  Holy  Spirit  Book. 

From  Calvary  to  Olivet,  the  Mount  of  Promise, 
then  into  the  Acts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  spirit- 
filled  disciples.  "  Go  tarry,"  a  paradox,  nevertheless 
a  command.  Jesus  gone,  His  successor  came.  For 
what  ?    To  revolutionize  the  metropolis  through  a 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  223 

revolutionized  experience  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
individuals.  Doubt  and  fear  gone;  sudden  courage 
and  power  super-abundant  in  its  stead;  demonstra- 
tion of  the  Spirit,  a  feast  of  harvest  ingathering.  A 
mighty  successor  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  beginning 
of  the  dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  prom- 
ised power  has  come  !  Joel's  prophecy  is  fulfilled. 
Who  were  a  part  of  this  Spirit-filled  company? 
Peter,  the  man  of  rock ;  James  and  John,  the  sons 
of  thunder;  the  matter-of-fact  Andrew;  Nathaniel, 
in  whom  is  no  guile ;  possibly  Stephen  and  Philip ; 
and  all  the  Mary's,  including  the  Bethany  Mary, 
Mary  Magdalena;  the  housekeeper,  ]\Iartha,  as  well 
as  the  greater  number  unnamed  and  unknown.  That 
was  the  number  that  prayerfully,  with  one  accord, 
not  only  w^anted,  but  received  the  never-to-be-for- 
gotten filling  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

On  fire  for  God  and  humanity,  out  from  Jerusalem 
to  Samaria,  on  into  the  home  of  Cornelius,  as  the 
door  to  the  non-Jewish  world,  into  the  heart  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  goes  the  Holy  Ghost,  using  leaders 
and  the  common  people  as  flaming  witnesses  of  His 
power,  as  given  in  the  Acts  of  the  Spirit  to  the 
abrupt  end  of  the  Book.  This  was  the  flood-tide  of 
power  and  liberty  and  should  never  have  abated. 

With  all  these  Scripture  evidences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  power  and  work,  what  are  the  practical  les- 


224         Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

sons  for  the  Christian  ?  Candor  and  honest  con- 
fession must  say,  I  need  above  all  things  else,  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  adds  intense  em- 
phasis to  all  this  to  note  that  Jesus  Himself,  very 
Son  of  God,  w^as  in  that  wonderful  human  life  of 
His,  utterly  dependent  upon  the  Holy  Spirit.  At  the 
very  outset,  before  returning  upon  a  single  act  or 
word  of  His  appointed  ministry,  He  waits  at  the 
Jordan  waters  until  His  annointing  came.  From 
that  time  every  part  of  His  life  was  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Spirit.  Forced  into  the  wilderness  for 
that  fierce  battle  with  Satan,  He  returned  into  Gali- 
lee in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  By  Him  He  cast 
out  devils  and  did  all  His  miracles,  and  by  the  Eter- 
nal Spirit  He  went  through  the  awful  experiences  of 
Gethsemana  and  Calvary,  and  offered  Himself  with- 
out spot  unto  God.  And  the  habitation  of  the  Spirit 
is  the  fitly-framed  Church  of  the  living  God.  For 
the  building  of  such  a  habitation  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
the  director  of  the  building  committee  and  chooses 
His  own  employes,  and  gives  direction  to  His  work- 
men, especially  what  they  shall  do  from  start  to 
finish,  to  complete  His  own  dwelling,  and  then  dedi- 
cation. The  foundation  is  Jesus  Christ.  Apostles, 
prophets,  evangelists,  pastors  and  teachers  are  the 
Spirit  workmen,  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  building  of  the 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  225 

body  of  Christ.  The  material,  sinful  humanity  trans- 
formed by  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  His 
abundance  from  Jesus  Christ,  and  made  His  tem- 
ples. No  wonder  He  demands  of  His  workmen  that 
sins  shall  be  forgiven,  and  new  life;  but  He  also  de- 
mands perfection  in  love,  and  it  is  His  to  give,  to 
make  one  a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature. 

Jesus  Christ  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,  as  well 
as  in  life,  and  left  it  to  His  successor  to  execute  the 
sentence  of  death  upon  the  old  man  or  carnal  na- 
ture. His  orders  are  to  destroy  this  work  of  the 
devil,  not  to  take  it  prisoner  and  let  it  live,  but  to 
cast  out  the  bondman  and  put  a  freeman  in  his 
place.  Holy  Spirit  employes  are  to  be  clean,  every 
whit,  and  are  furnished  with  good  material,  and  it 
takes  a  good  deal  of  sandpaper  to  get  the  polish ;  and 
sweeping  with  the  gospel  broom  to  get  ready  for 
the  dedication.  It  must  be  done.  Strange  that  any 
misfit  in  this  work  should  be  found.  That  the  stan- 
dard should  be  lowered.  That  any  should  plead  for 
sin  and  the  disease  that  lies  back  of  it,  and  expect 
to  fight  it  down  without  an  extinguisher.  The  Holy 
Spirit  as  Comforter;  Christians  are  on  a  journey, 
wayfarers,  and  need  an  experienced  guide,  mutually 
congenial,  personally  agreeable,  who  knows  every 
detail,  all  the  ground  the  journey  covers,  the  con- 
venience to  make  the  journey  pleasant,  like  a  jour- 


16 


226  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

ney  through  a  strange  land  that  we  have  never  made 
before.  Therefore,  the  Lord  Jesus  pledges  to  fur- 
nish us  with  the  Companion  Comforter,  personally 
to  conduct  you  all  the  way,  He  having  accompanied 
Him,  Avho  sent  Him,  to  be  your  Guide. 

Two  persons  here,  you  are  one.  He  is  the  bet- 
ter One.  You  say  ,"  Guide."  He  says,  "'  Come  on." 
He  moves.  The  Life-holder,  the  Light-holder  is 
w^ith  you  with  life,  and  light,  and  love,  and  power 
freely  furnished,  to  make  the  journey  safe,  pleasant 
and  overflowing  with  enjoyment  as  it  can  be.  You 
are  ticketed  through,  all  rest  places  free,  ample  sup- 
plies, with  inconveniences  removed,  and  a  Compan- 
ion constantly  devoting  Himself  to  your  interest 
wholly,  and  making  it  an  ideal  journey.  Surely  a 
Comforter.  A  significant  name.  Not  an  it.  We 
would  not  say  it  is  a  good  preacher,  it  is  a  good 
pastor,  or  it  was  a  saintly  man,  but  emphasize  Him 
as  being  a  devoted  servant.  One  along  to  help.  As 
many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the 
ones  of  God.  A  fullness,  richness,  tenderness,  per- 
sonal intimacy  here. 

The  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  He  is  here  to  bring  forth 
fruit  in  human  lives,  and  to  do  this  He  must  flood 
the  heart  with  love  by  the  gift  of  Himself,  resulting 
in  planting  in  the  human  heart  the  love  of  God,  so 
that  it  becomes  a  prolific  fruit-bearing  tree ;    and 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  227 

like  produces  like,  and  nine  varieties  of  fruit  is  the 
product.  Love,  that  marvelous  tender  passion ;  the 
love  of  God  heightless,  depthless,  shoreless,  floods 
the  heart  with  tenderness,  and  every  phase  of  life 
is  that  of  love.  As  one  has  said,  ''  Peace  is  love, 
resting."  Bible  study  is  love  studying  its  love  let- 
ters :  prayer  is  love  keeping  tryst.  Conflict  with  sin  is 
love  jealously  fighting  for  its  Lover.  Sympathy  is  love 
tenderly  feeling.  Enthusiasm  is  love  burning.  Hope 
is  love  expecting.  Patience  is  love  waiting.  Faith- 
fulness is  love  sticking  fast.  Humility  is  love  tak- 
ing its  true  place.  Modesty  is  love  keeping  out  of 
sight.  Soul-winning  is  love  pleading.  It  levels  all 
distinctions.  Love,  joy  and  peace  are  emotions 
within.  The  other  six  are  toward  others :  Long  suf- 
fering, gentleness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  meekness, 
self-control.  It  is  the  prerogative  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  bring  this  heavenly  fruit  into  and  out  of  human 
lives,  when  the  heart  becomes  a  tree  of  life. 


A  Story  for  Children 


THE  following  attractive  story  for  children  and 
young  people,  taught  me  by  my  loved  mother, 
has  been  useful  in  my  work  among  many  families 
and  gatherings,  gaining  the  attention  where  nothing 
else  would.  It  has  in  it  a  lesson  of  unity  of  action, 
and  those  who  love  children  can  use  it  very  properly, 
hence  I  believe  it  best  to  send  it  forth,  asking  the 
blessing  of  God  upon  it. 

HUNTING   A   WREN 

Let's  go  a  hunting,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Let's  go  a  hunting,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Let's  go  a  hunting,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Let's  go  a  hunting,  says  every  one. 

What  shall  we  hunt?  says  Richety  Robin; 
What  shall  we  hunt?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
What  shall  we  hunt?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
What  shall  we  hunt?  says  every  one. 

We'll  hunt  a  wren,  says  Richety  Robin; 
We'll  hunt  a  wren,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
We'll  hunt  a  wren,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
We'll  hunt  a  wren,  says  everyone. 

228 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  229 

Where'll  we  find  him?  says  Richety  Robbin; 
Where'll  we  find  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Where'll  we  find  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Where'll  we  find  him?  says  every  one. 

In  the  bush,  says  Richety  Robin; 
In  the  bush,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
In  the  bush,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
In  the  bush,  says  every  one. 

Who  will  shoot  him?  says  Richety  Robbin; 
Who  will  shoot  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Who  will  shoot  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Who  will  shoot  him?  says  every  one 

I  will  shoot  him,  says  Richety  Robin; 
I  will  shoot  him,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
I  will  shoot  him,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
I  will  shoot  him,  says  every  one. 

He's  shot,  he's  shot,  says  Richety  Robin; 
He's  shot,  he's  shot,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He's  shot,  he's  shot,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He's  shot,  he's  shot,  says  every  one. 

How  will  we  get  him  home?  says  Richety  Robin; 
How  will  we  get  him  home?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
How  will  we  get  him  home?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
How  will  we  get  him  home?  says  every  one. 

With  a  cart  and  oxen,  says  Richety  Robin; 
With  a  cart  and  oxen,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
With  a  cart  and  oxen,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
With  a  cart  and  oxen,  says  every  one. 

How  will  we  load  him?  says  Richety  Robin; 
How  will  we  load  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
How  will  we  load  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
How  will  we  load  him?  says  every  one. 


230  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

Take  off  one  wheel,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Take  off  one  wheel,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Take  off  one  wheel,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Take  off  one  wheel,  says  everyone. 

Boost,  boost,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Boost,  boost,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Boost,  boost,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Boost,  boost,  says  every  one. 

He  is  in,  he  is  in,  says  Richety  Robin; 
He  is  in,  he  is  in,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He  is  in,  he  is  in,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He  is  in,  he  is  in,  says  every  one. 

Gee,  whoa,  haw,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Gee,  whoa,  haw,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Gee,  whoa,  haw,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Gee,  whoa,  haw,  says  every  one. 

He  is  home,  he  is  home,  says  Richety  Robin; 
He  is  home,  he  is  home,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He  is  home,  he  is  home,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He  is  home,  he  is  home,  says  every  one. 

How  will  we  unload  him?  says  Richety  Robin; 
How  will  we  unload  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
How  will  we  unload  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
How  will  we  unload  him?  says  every  one. 

Take  off  one  side,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Take  off  one  side,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Take  off  one  side,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Take  off  one  side,  says  every  one. 

Push,  push,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Push,  push,  says,  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Push,  push,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Push,  push,  says  every  one. 


Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work  23: 

He  is  out,  he  is  out,  says  Richety  Robin; 
He  is  out,  he  is  out,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He  is  out,  he  is  out,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He  is  out,  he  is  out,  says  every  one. 

What  will  we  have?  says  Richety  Robin; 
What  will  we  have?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
What  will  we  have?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
What  will  we  have?  says  every  one. 

We  will  have  a  stew,  says  Richety  Robin; 
We  will  have  a  stew,  says,  Robinty  Bobbin. 
We  will  have  a  stew,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
We  will  have  a  stew,  says  every  one. 

Who  will  pick  him?  says  Richety  Robin; 
Who  will  pick  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin. 
Who  will  pick  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Who  will  pick  him?  says  every  one. 

I  will  pick  him,  says  Richety  Robin; 
I  will  pick  him,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
I  will  pick  him,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
I  will  pick  him,  says  every  one. 

He  is  picked,  he  is  picked,  says  Richety  Robin; 
He  is  picked,  he  is  picked,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He  is  picked,  he  is  picked,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He  is  picked,  he  is  picked,  says  every  one. 

Who  will  cook  him?  says  Richety  Robin; 
Who  will  cook  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Who  will  cook  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Who  will  cook  him?  says  every  one. 

I  will  cook  him,  says  Richety  Robin; 
I  will  cook  him,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
I  will  cook  him,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
I  will  cook  him,  says  every  one. 


232  Incidents  of  My  Life  and  Life  Work 

He  is  cooked,  he  is  cooked,  says  Richety  Robbin; 
He  is  cooked,  he  is  cooked,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He  is  cooked,  he  is  cooked,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He  is  cooked,  he  is  cooked,  says  every  one. 

Who  will  eat  him?  says  Richety  Robin; 
Who  will  eat  him?  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Who  will  eat  him?  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Who  will  eat  him?  says  every  one. 

I  will  eat  him,  says  Richety  Robbin; 
I  will  eat  him,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
I  will  eat  him,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
I  will  eat  him,  says  every  one. 

He  is  eat,  he  is  eat,  says  Richety  Robin; 
He  is  eat,he  is  eat,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
He  is  eat,  he  is  eat,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
He  is  eat,  he  is  eat,  says  every  one. 

Pile  up  his  bones,  says  Richety  Robin; 
Pile  up  the  bones,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
Pile  up  the  bones,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
Pile  up  the  bones,  says  every  one. 

We  are  done,  we  are  done,  says  Richety  Robin; 
We  are  done,  we  are  done,  says  Robinty  Bobbin; 
We  are  done,  we  are  done,  says  Johnnie  alone; 
We  are  done,  we  are  done,  says  every  one. 


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life   v;ork  of  84  years!   ^^ 


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